JAN    8   1917 


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BY-PRODUCTS 

OF   THE  RURAL 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


BY 


J.  M.  SOMERNDIKE 


Author  of 

-ON  THE  FIRING  LINE  WITH  THE  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL  MISSIONARY" 


Philadelphia 

The  Westminster  Press 

1914 


Copyright  1914 
By  F.  M.   Braselmann 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 
CHAPTER  I 

UNMEASURED  VALUES 3 

CHAPTER  II 

THE  EXPULSIVE  POWER  OF  THE  RURAL 

SUNDAY  SCHOOL 21 

CHAPTER  III 

COMMUNITIES  REDEEMED 43 

CHAPTER  IV 

HOW  CHURCHES  ARE  DEVELOPED 63 

CHAPTER  V 

TRAINING  WORKERS  FOR  THE  KINGDOM 83 

CHAPTER  VI 

RECRUITS  FOR  THE  MINISTRY  AND  MISSIONARY 

SERVICE 99 

CHAPTER  VII 

SOCIAL  EFFECTS  OF  RURAL  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

WORK 115 

CHAPTER  VIII 

WAYSIDE  EVANGELISM 133 

CHAPTER  IX 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  EXTENSION 151 


m 


INTRODUCTION 

Increasi]s?g  attention  is  being  given  to  the  Sunday 
school.  This  is  due  to  the  recognition  that  it  has 
become  the  most  important  agency  in  the  religious 
instruction  of  our  youth.  We  do  not  refer  to  the 
Sunday  school  apart  from  the  Church,  but  to  the 
Church  working  through  the  Sunday  school. 

We  are  beginning  to  realize  that  in  America  both 
the  Church  and  the  nation  must  depend  largely  upon 
the  Sunday  school  for  the  Christian  instruction  of 
our  boys  and  girls,  as  well  as  for  the  Bible  study  of 
our  adults.  Earnest  efforts  are  being  made  to  render 
our  Sunday  schools  more  efficient,  so  that  better  and 
more  abundant  results  may  be  obtained  from  the 
work  done  in  them.  Consideration,  however,  has 
thus  far  been  given  for  the  most  part  to  the  larger 
schools  in  our  towns  and  cities. 

It  is  well  for  us,  therefore,  to  have  our  attention 
directed  to  the  smaller  rural  schools.  The  majority 
of  our  Sunday  schools  are  of  this  character.  In 
many  cases  these  schools  are  taking  the  place  of 
churches  in  scattered  communities.  A  church  could 
not  be  supported,  but  a  Sunday  school  can  be  carried 
on  by  the  people  themselves,  and  may  become  the 
center  of  the  religious  life  of  the  neighborhood. 

The  opportunities  for  Bible  study  and  the  develop- 
ment of  Christian  character  in  these  schools  are  in 
many  ways  superior  to  those  in  the  larger  city 
schools.  Few  of  us  realize  how  vital  and  far-reach- 
ing is  the  influence  emanating  from  these  little 
schools.     ]\lany  of  our  leading  pastors,  prominent 

V 


vi  Introduction 

church  workers,  missionaries,  and  teachers  received 
their  first  spiritual  impressions  in  Sunday  schools  of 
this  nature. 

Mr.  Somerndike,  in  his  book,  "By-Products  of 
the  Rural  Sunday  School,"  has  made  a  valuable 
contribution  to  our  knowledge  and  appreciation  of 
Sunday-school  work  in  general,  and  particularly  as 
carried  on  in  the  little  country  school. 

No  one  who  is  interested  in  work  of  this  character 
can  fail  to  read  this  book  with  pleasure  and  a  grow- 
ing recognition  of  the  important  results  that  are 
being  achieved.  We  hope  that  it  may  come  into  the 
hands  of  many  who  are  living  in  these  rural  com- 
munities, that  they  may  be  encouraged  to  undertake 
such  work  for  their  neighborhoods. 

We  should  be  glad  to  have  the  attention  of  Chris- 
tian men  and  women,  living  in  towns  from  which 
nearby  rural  communities  can  be  reached,  directed 
to  a  method  of  work  that  yields  such  abundant,  sat- 
isfactory and  enduring  results. 

We  feel  sure  that,  as  this  book  is  read  by  large- 
hearted  men  and  women  interested  in  the  religious 
welfare  of  their  own  land,  and  seeking  opportun- 
ities for  profitable  investment  of  the  means  the  Lord 
has  intrusted  to  them,  they  will  feel  more  than  ever 
inclined  liberally  to  support  the  Church  in  carrying 
on  this  vitally  important  service  that  is  accomplishing 
so  much  directly  and  indirectly  for  the  salvation  of 
souls,  the  building  up  of  Christian  character,  and 
the  progress  of  Christ's  Jiingdom. 

Alexandek  Henry. 


UNMEASURED  VALUES 


1.  The  school  that  changed  the  name  of  "Hell-for-Sartin.  " 

2.  The  Sunday  school  that  caused  the  countryside  to  turn   out   and    build    nine 

miles  of  good  roads. 

3.  A  homesteader  who  is  superintendent  of  two  Sunday  schools  and  assists  four 

others. 


CHAPTER  I 

Unmeasured  Values 

The  direct  results  of  Sunday-school  missions  may 
readily  be  tabulated.  Since  the  aim  of  this  work  is 
to  place  the  opportunity  for  Christian  instruction 
within  the  reach  of  the  children  and  youth  of  Amer- 
ica, by  establishing  and  maintaining  Sunday  schools 
in  localities  where  they  are  lacking,  it  is  a  matter  of 
simple  arithmetic  to  arrive  at  the  figures  showing  the 
number  of  Sunday  schools  organized,  the  number  of 
persons  enrolled  in  them,  the  number  of  pastorless 
families  visited,  the  Sunday-school  conferences  and 
institutes  conducted,  and  such  other  totals  as  would 
be  necessary  to  show  the  volume  of  work  accom- 
plished by  the  field  force  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  Sunday-school  missionaries. 

The  direct  output  or  product  of  Sunday-school 
missions  is  found  in  the  Sunday  schools  organized 
and  revived ;  the  persons  who  have  been  enlisted  in 
Christian  service  as  Sunday-school  officers  and 
teachers ;  the  improvements  effected  in  the  ideals 
and  methods  of  the  Sunday  schools  in  a  given  dis- 
trict ;  the  boys  and  girls  gathered  for  Christian  in- 
struction ;  the  character  that  is  being  shaped  by  the 
faithful  work  of  self-denying  Sunday-school  teach- 
ers ;  and  the  transformations  wrought  in  the  life  of 
those  who  have  found  Christ  and  who  have  been 
made  whole  by  his  gracious  touch.  But  in  performing 

3 


4        By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

these  labors  there  are  bypaths  that  must  be  traversed ; 
and  the  Sunday-school  missionary  finds  himself 
touching  and  influencing  the  life  of  the  people  on  his 
field  in  many  other  helpful  ways.  Indeed,  it  is  fre- 
quently the  case  that  the  forms  of  service  from 
which  he  derives  the  greatest  encouragement  and 
inspiration  may  be  those  which  would  be  regarded 
as  secondary  to  the  ultimate  goal  he  has  in  view. 
Again,  we  should  remember  that  the  full  value  of 
the  mission  Sunday  school  cannot  be  determined 
merely  by  what  it  is  doing  for  the  neighborhood  in 
which  it  is  situated,  but  that  its  influence  reaches  as 
far  as  its  members  may  be  scattered  as  they  pursue 
their  life  work.  The  teaching  in  a  rural  Sunday 
school  on  the  prairie  frequently  has  been  known  to 
bear  fruit  in  missionary  service  in  distant  lands. 

The  direct  product  shown  by  statistical  reports  is 
not  the  only  measure  of  efficiency  in  missionary 
work  such  as  this.  The  value  of  the  by-product  is 
worthy  of  equal  consideration.  In  commercial  enter- 
prises, the  by-product  is  frequently  of  greater  value 
than  the  principal  article  manufactured.  Certain 
commodities  are  made  not  so  much  for  the  profit 
which  they  will  bring  to  the  manufacturer,  as  for 
the  sake  of  the  secondary  product  which  is  of  greater 
worth  and  which  cannot  be  obtained  without  the 
process  required  in  order  to  produce  the  output  that 
appears  to  occupy  the  place  of  chief  importance. 

The  immediate  product  of  Sunday-school  missions 
is  seen  in  the  hundreds  of  little  Sunday  schools  that 
are  springing  up,  many  of  them  in  obscure  rural 


Unmeasured  Values  5 

neighborhoods  back  from  the  main  lines  of  travel 
in  which  a  multitude  of  boys  and  girls  are  being 
taught  the  principles  of  morality  and  religion,  and 
directed  toward  the  surrender  of  their  lives  to  their 
Saviour  and  Lord,  consecrating  themselves  to  his 
service.     Thus  the  Sunday-school  missionary,  may 
proudly  point  to  a  dozen,  or,  sometimes,  to  as  many 
as  fifty  mission  Sunday  schools  within  the  bound- 
aries of  his  field,  which  can  be  depended  upon  to 
meet  regularly  for  the  study  of  the  Word  and  in 
which  faithful  work  is  being  done.     This,  he  will 
tell  you,  is  the  result  of  his  missionary  labors,  be- 
cause it  is  his  business  not  only  to  organize  schools 
but  to  keep  them  alive  and  in  good  working  condi- 
tion as  far  as  it  may  be  within  his  power.    But  for 
what  purpose  are  these  Sunday  schools  established  ? 
Do   they  not  exist  primarily   for  the  molding  of 
Christian  character,  and  is  not  Christian  character 
the  foundation  of  all  that  is  good  and  virtuous  and 
uplifting  in  any  community?     The  by-products  of 
character-building  are  innumerable.    The  wise  and 
careful  investor  would  not  consider  the  possession 
of  property  in  a  neighborhood  that  was  notoriously 
vicious,  a  safe  asset ;  neither  would  such  a  place  be 
likely  to  be  selected  as  a  desirable  community  in 
which  to  live  and  rear  one's  family.    But  the  exist- 
ence of  a  Sunday  school  or  a  church  in  a  community 
alw-ays  stands  as  an  assurance  of  its  stability,  even 
though  some  forms  of  evil  may  be  knowr  to  flourish 
there.    The  presence  of  the  Sunday  school  in  hun- 
dreds of  neighborhoods  of  doubtful  reputation  has 


6        By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

been  the  means  of  effecting  changes  in  conditions  of 
life  and  environment,  that  could  not  be  traced  to  any 
other  source  than  the  influence  of  the  Christian 
character  of  those  who  had  been  brought  into  con- 
tact with  higher  motives  and  impulses  through  the 
Sunday  school's  work,  "Hell-in-the-Woods,"  a  little 
village  along  one  of  the  mountain  streams  in  Ten- 
nessee, became  Helenwood  after  the  Sunday-school 
missionary  had  established  and  nurtured  a  little  Sun- 
day school  there.  It  was  composed  at  first  of  rough 
mountain  boys  and  girls,  and  when  the  missionary 
began  his  work  those  who  were  opposed  to  the 
Sunday  school  would  shoot  out  the  lights.  It  was 
only  by  tactful,  persevering  work  that  a  school  was 
started.  But  they  responded  to  the  quickening  touch 
of  Christian  teaching,  many  of  them  finding  salva- 
tion with  newness  of  life  and  purpose  in  Jesus  Christ. 
Thus,  from  the  little  Sunday  school  an  influence  is 
radiated  so  far-reaching  in  its  effect  as  to  be  immeas- 
urable. Such  is  the  value  of  the  Sunday-school  by- 
product. 

Such  work  cannot  always  be  computed  in  figures. 
We  cannot  measure  the  extent  of  an  influence  for 
good  which  may  be  started  through  the  planting  of 
a  little  Sunday  school  in  some  sin-darkened  neigh- 
borhood, nor  can  we  record  the  direct  results  of  a 
chance  meeting,  a  wayside  visit,  or  an  encouraging 
word.  This  is  a  service  in  which  personal  work 
looms  up  in  large  proportions ;  and  the  Sunday- 
school  missionary  soon  learns  the  importance  of 
seizing  every  chance  meeting  or  conversation  as  an 


Unmeasured  Values  7 

opportunity  of  witnessing  for  Christ    The  Sunday- 
school  missionary,  driving  along  the  road  on  a  visit 
to  a  new  neighborhood,  stops  at  a  wayside  home  for 
a  friendly  greeting,  and  to  talk  about  the  Sunday 
school.     The  husband  is  at  work  on  the  farm,  but, 
as  it  is  about  the  noon  hour,  the  missionary,  who  is 
always   a   welcome   visitor,  is   invited  to   join   the 
family  in  the  midday  meal.    Years  have  passed  since 
their  home  has  been  visited  by  a  Christian  minister. 
After  he  asks  the  blessing  upon  the  humble  repast, 
the  mother  exclaims,  "My  husband  used  to  do  that, 
but  he  gave  it  up  long  ago."     Then  the  missionary 
hears  the  story  of  their  hardship  and  struggle,  how 
the  discouragements  and  the  absence  of  any  Chris- 
tian influence  in  the  neighborhood  have  caused  them 
to  become  indifferent  to  the  inner  voice  which  at 
first  reminded  them  of  their  religious  duties,  but 
which  had  grown  dumb  because  of  their  heedlessness 
and  neglect.    The  old  trunk  is  opened  and  the  reHcs 
of  former  days  exhibited  to  the  missionary's  view. 
Among  them  are  some  devotional  books,  and,  still 
more  surprising,  a  local  preacher's  license  which  had 
been  granted  to  the  husband  years  before.    Then  the 
rest  of  the  story  is  told ;  how  easily  they  had  fallen 
into  the  godless  ways  of  their  neighbors,  sacrificing 
all  to  the  lust  for  possessions.    The  missionary  yields 
to  the  entreaty  to  remain  with  them  for  the  night, 
feeling  that  in  the  face  of  such  a  providential  oppor- 
tunity he  cannot  resume  his  journey  without  rebuild- 
ing the  family  altar  in  that  home  and  bringing  them 
back  to  God.    After  the  chores  have  been  done,  the 


8        By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

husband  and  wife  are  seated  about  the  fire  with  the 
missionary,  and  as  they  talk  ov€r  their  experiences, 
confessing  their  backsHding,  they  face  the  great 
need.  The  missionary  leads  them  to  the  throne  of 
grace  and  there  this  preacher-farmer  again  finds  his 
voice  in  prayer  and  pledges  renewed  allegiance  to 
his  Lord.  He  promises  the  missionary  that  he  will 
conduct  and  keep  alive  the  little  Sunday  school  that 
has  been  started  in  the  community,  and  that  he  will 
faithfully  hold  up  the  standard  of  righteousness  be- 
fore that  people. 

Thus,  a  work  of  grace  has  been  started  which  may 
directly  influence  not  only  the  lives  of  scores  of  per- 
sons, but  which  eventually  may  transform  the  life 
of  the  entire  neighborhood.  It  was  just  a  wayside 
call,  and  the  Sunday-school  missionary  could  have 
found  many  reasons  for  passing  on,  but,  following 
the  example  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  he  could  not  be 
satisfied  until  he  had  brought  these  wandering  sheep 
back  into  the  fold.  He  went  to  this  neighborhood  to 
organize  a  Sunday  school,  and  that  is  the  product  he 
reports ;  but  who  can  estimate  the  value  of  the  by- 
product of  souls  reclaimed  and  a  community  re- 
deemed? Only  the  Book  of  Life  can  contain  a 
record  of  the  results  of  such  labors. 

It  is  not  unusual  for  neighborhoods  in  a  newly 
settled  district,  into  which  the  forces  of  evil  so  often 
find  their  way  with  the  first  newcomer,  to  be  com- 
pletely dominated  by  the  degrading  influence  of  the 
weekly  dance,  the  gambling  den  and  the  saloon. 
The  establishment  of  the  Sunday  school  in  such  a 


Unmeasured  Values  9 

community  at  once  causes  a  line  to  be  drawn  clearly 
and  distinctly  between  those  who  are  interested  in 
the  development  of  religious  life  among  the  people 
and  those  who  are  indifferent  or  opposed.  The 
Sunday-school  forces,  though  feeble  at  first,  find 
themselves  engaged  in  a  conflict  with  these  agencies 
of  destruction,  and  in  hundreds  of  instances  the  sa- 
loon eventually  has  been  obliged  to  close  its  doors 
and  the  dance  hall  has  been  converted  into  a  place  of 
Christian  worship. 

A  Sunday-school  missionary  in  northern  Wiscon- 
sin recently  had  the  experience  of  seeing  two  sa- 
loons closed  and  the  third  almost  completely  aban- 
doned, Sunday  baseball  discontinued  and  the  town 
"cleaned  up"  through  the  persistent  labors  of  a 
few  faithful  men  and  women  who  have  been  con- 
ducting the  Sunday  school  which  he  established. 
When  he  first  visited  this  locality  on  a  Sunday  after- 
noon, he  found  a  ball  game  in  progress,  and  the 
saloons  wide  open.  When  he  spoke  to  them  about 
having  a  Sunday  school  they  declared  that  such  an 
institution  had  never  been  known  in  the  place.  In 
canvassing  the  homes,  the  missionary  found  only  a 
few  who  were  willing  to  lend  their  assistance,  but 
as  the  school  grew,  the  interest  of  the  entire  neigh- 
borhood began  to  be  aroused  because  the  good  influ- 
ence of  the  little  school  was  being  seen  on  every 
hand.  Some  of  the  money  that  the  saloon  keeper 
formerly  received  has  been  diverted  into  better 
channels,  for  without  any  outside  aid  they  have 
built  a  commodious  chapel,    The  missionary  says 


10      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

that  this  little  school  is  known  all  over  the  county 
for  the  good  work  it  has  performed. 

As  the  Sunday  school  develops,  the  community 
begins  to  have  social  interests  that  are  more  profit- 
able than  the  weekly  dance.  The  craving  for  hu- 
man fellowship  which  brought  the  people  from  their 
lonely,  isolated  homes  "to  meet  folks"  at  the  dance 
hall,  can  now  be  satisfied  by  the  Sunday-school  serv- 
ice which  old  and  young  attend.  The  good  liter- 
ature which  the  Sunday  school  brings  into  the 
homes  awakens  higher  ideals  and  stirs  the  youth 
with  the  visions  of  higher  and  better  things  than  his 
neighborhood  with  its  meager  advantages  and  in- 
ferior associations,  is  capable  of  providing.  He 
begins  to  see  the  value  of  an  education,  ambitions 
and  aspirations  are  awakened,  and  he  longs  for  a 
chance  to  take  his  place  in  the  great  world  about 
which  he  reads. 

xA.gain  the  Sunday  school  brings  a  new  interest 
into  the  home  life  as  the  Bible  becomes  the  daily 
portion  of  the  family,  as  they  learn  the  Sunday- 
school  songs  and  read  the  Sunday-school  library 
books. 

As  the  school  develops  new  features,  with  its 
Cradle  Roll  for  the  babies,  its  Home  Department 
for  the  "stay-at-homes,"  and  its  parents'  or  Adult 
Bible  classes,  it  becomes  the  center  of  community 
interest.  In  one  locality  the  whole  countryside 
turned  out  with  shovel  and  scraper  to  build  a  better 
road  several  miles  in  length  leading  to  the  little 
chapel   which   had   been   erected  to  house  their 


Unmeasured  Values  11 

Sunday  school.  It  had  wrought  a  mighty  work  in 
the  community,  and  they  had  learned  to  appreciate 
its  value. 

Thus  the  Sunday  school  becomes  more  than  a 
religious  force.  Its  influence  permeates  the  whole 
social  organization.  It  is  the  saving  salt  of  hun- 
dreds of  neighborhoods,  in  the  sense  that  it  is  the 
preserver  of  that  which  contributes  toward  the  sus- 
taining of  spiritual  life,  at  the  same  time  arresting 
the  inroads  of  moral  decay.  The  Sunday  school 
frequently  stands  alone,  representing  the  only  reli- 
gious work  in  the  township  and  sometimes  in  an 
entire  county.  It  bears  up  the  whole  task  of  reli- 
gious education.  Its  membership  is  not  limited  to 
children  of  church  members  nor  does  it  require  the 
acceptance  of  the  tenets  of  any  particular  denom- 
ination. Not  only  does  it  make  its  influence  felt 
as  a  social  force,  but  the  entire  locality  may  come 
together  under  its  banner  to  teach  and  to  study  the 
Word.  From  the  school  a  church  may  develop, 
in  the  course  of  time,  whose  denominational  affili- 
ation will  be  determined  by  the  will  of  the  majority  ; 
but  in  many  places  the  community  cannot  support  a 
church  and  there  the  Sunday  school  stands  In  the 
place  of  the  church,  feeding  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
people,  developing  character  among  the  youth,  and 
ministering  in  many  helpful  ways  to  their  moral 
uplift.  The  organized  church,  however,  should  be 
considered  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  by- 
products of  Sunday-school  missions.  The  rural 
Sunday  schools  have  been  the  foundation  of  at  least 


12      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

eighty  per  cent  of  the  new  churches  placed  upon 
our  roll  in  missionary  synods  during  the  past  twenty- 
seven  years. 

Not  only  does  the  Sunday  school  exert  its  influ- 
ence in  the  immediate  locality  in  which  it  is  situ- 
ated, but  it  becomes  the  training  school  for  Chris- 
tian workers  in  our  city  churches.  In  scores  of 
instances  it  has  been  found  that  the  most  faithful 
officers  and  members  of  city  churches  formed  the 
great  decision  which  led  them  into  Christian  life 
and  activity  in  some  little  Sunday  school  in  an  ob- 
scure neighborhood.  It  is  well  known  that  the  trend 
of  life  is  toward  the  city.  It  is  the  custom  of  Dr. 
John  Timothy  Stone,  of  the  great  Fourth  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Chicago,  to  give  a  Christmas  din- 
ner to  the  men  of  his  congregation  who  are  boarding 
in  the  city  and  who  cannot  get  home  to  the  country 
districts  to  spend  Christmas  with  their  families. 
On  one  of  these  occasions  he  found  that  twenty- 
seven  states  were  represented.  If  inquiry  were 
made,  doubtless  it  would  be  found  that  many  of 
these  men  received  most  of  their  religious  training 
in  little  Sunday  schools  in  the  country  districts.  It 
is  by  no  means  an  idle  speculation  to  say  that  in 
providing  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  coun- 
try boys  and  girls  by  planting  mission  Sunday 
schools,  within  their  reach,  we  are  contributing  in  a 
substantial  degree  toward  civic  betterment.  The 
pastor  of  a  large  city  church  of  national  prominence, 
in  addressing  a  conference  of  Sunday-school  mis- 


Unmeasured  Values  13 

sionarles,  said :  "You  are  purifying  the  stream  that 
flows  into  the  cities.  We  are  receiving  into  our 
city  churches  young  men  and  women  who  received 
their  first  impulse  toward  the  Christian  life  in  the 
rural  Sunday  schools  which  you  have  planted." 

Again,  the  rural  Sunday  school  has  furnished 
a  considerable  percentage  of  ministers,  missionaries 
and  teachers.  The  far-reaching  effect  of  the  prod- 
uct of  the  little  Sunday  school  from  this  viewpoint 
alone  cannot  be  measured  or  even  estimated.  One 
little  Sunday  school,  which  for  years  has  been  the 
only  religious  influence  in  a  country  neighborhood, 
has  produced  forty-three  ministers. 

Many  of  the  boys  and  girls  in  our  rural  Sunday 
schools  are  going  to  the  Presbyterian  colleges  for 
their  education,  and  here  again  the  influence  of  the 
faithful  work  of  consecrated  Sunday-school  teachers 
in  the  back-country  districts,  is  seen  in  the  charac- 
ter of  those  who  compose  the  student  body  in  such 
institutions.  They  contribute  in  a  large  measure 
to  the  Christian  atmosphere  of  the  college,  taking 
an  active  part  in  the  religious  activities,  some  be- 
coming candidates  for  the  gospel  ministry  and  oth- 
ers preparing  themselves  for  other  forms  of  service 
for  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom. 

The  little  Sunday  school  which  has  but  a  tempo- 
rary existence  must  be  considered,  also,  in  such  a 
survey  as  this.  Those  who  are  familiar  with  con- 
ditions in  frontier  districts,  the  future  of  which  is 
often  speculative,  are  never  heard  to  say  that  the 
efforts  of  missionaries  in   localities   which  do  not 


14      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

promise  the  organization  of  permanent  churches, 
are  lost.  If  we  were  to  measure  our  work  for 
Christ  and  our  fellow  men  by  any  such  standard  the 
religious  needs  of  hundreds  of  neighborhoods  that 
now  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the  church  and  Sunday 
school  would  have  been  ignored  by  the  missionary 
for  years,  and  a  multitude  of  souls  eternally  lost. 
If  missionary  money  expended  in  the  unpromising 
places  is  wasted,  then  what  is  the  use  of  sending 
missionaries  into  the  lumber  camps  or  into  the 
mining  districts  of  the  United  States  or  Alaska,  to 
follow  the  gold  stampedes,  where  cities  may  spring 
up  in  a  night  with  no  assurance  of  permanence? 
They  may  last  a  year  or  five  years ;  who  can  tell  ? 
But  shall  they  be  neglected  because  of  such  uncer- 
tainty ?  Some  of  the  most  encouraging  experiences 
in  missionary  endeavor  have  come  from  work 
started  under  the  most  trying  circumstances.  The 
Sunday-school  missionary  especially,  can  point  to 
some  of  the  best  results  of  his  ministry  as  the  out- 
growth of  a  feeble  work  which  Hved  but  a  short 
time  and  has  long  since  disappeared. 

A  Sunday  school  was  established  in  a  new  lumber 
town  in  northern  Wisconsin  several  years  ago.  It 
represented  the  only  religious  influence  in  that 
neighborhood ;  and  through  its  work  many  of  the 
boys  and  girls  were  led  to  confess  Christ.  The 
vast  forest  has  been  removed ;  the  lumber  men  have 
moved  on ;  the  town  is  deserted ;  and  the  little  Sun- 
day school  has  been  discontinued.  But  the  good  in- 
fluence goes  on  and  bears   fruit  elsewhere.     The 


Unmeasured  Values  IS 

Sunday-school  missionary  was  surprised  one  day  to 
receive  a  letter  from  a  sixteen-year-old  girl  who  had 
given  her  heart  to  Christ  in  this  "backwoods" 
school,  informing  him  that  she  had  started  a  Sun- 
day school  in  the  new  village  to  which  her  family 
had  gone ;  and  as  no  one  would  take  charge  of  it, 
she  was  acting  as  its  superintendent.  She  added 
that  recently  five  of  her  pupils  had  become  Chris- 
tians. Similar  testimony  could  be  given  concerning 
scores  of  other  places.  In  fact,  the  whole  history 
of  missions  at  home  and  abroad  furnishes  many 
illustrations  of  the  indirect  results  of  time  and  en- 
ergy expended  in  cases  where  from  a  human  stand- 
point  they   seem  to  have   been   lost. 

Our  faith  is  weak  indeed,  if  we  hold  back  because 
we  cannot  see  the  end  from  the  beginning.  If  the 
opportunity  to  minister  to  the  needy  and  to  save 
souls  does  not  outweigh  the  credit  of  reporting  per- 
manent organizations  effected,  then  we  have  de- 
parted far  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  Master  when 
he  gave  the  "Great  Commission"  to  his  disciples. 
It  was  the  need  that  they  were  to  consider  and  en- 
deavor to  supply.  They  were  to  sow  the  seed,  rest- 
ing upon  his  promises  for  the  results.  Spiritual 
values  cannot  be  appraised  by  material  standards, 
and  they  do  not  always  make  good  statistics.  An 
editorial  from  a  well-known  religious  weekly  accu- 
rately describes  the  situation  as  it  is  found  in  certain 
sections  of  the  West,  peopled  by  homesteaders,  in 
the  following: 


16      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

"In  a  state  as  well  churched  as  Kansas  even, 
there  is  one  whole  county — Grant — which  has  no 
church  organization,  Haskell  County  has  only  two 
ministers ;  Morton  County  only  one.  In  Washing- 
ton there  is  a  valley  six  miles  wide  and  sixty  miles 
long  already  well  filled  with  settlers,  and  of  them  all 
not  one-fifth  are  to-day  within  any  reasonable  reach 
of  Christian  worship — to  say  nothing  of  Christian 
pastoral  services  in  their  homes.  These  are  but 
samples  of  a  condition  quite  common  through  the 
West — regions  of  wide  extent  wholly  neglected  in 
home-mission  enterprise,  while  there  is  an  absolute 
scramble  of  rivalry  to  keep  a  footing  in  other 
places  that  would  be  better  ofif  with  less  attention. 
Of  course,  the  neglected  districts  are  those  less 
promising  of  growth  and  wealth — less  likely  to 
develop  'self-supporting  churches.'  But  on  that 
very  account  the  struggling  settlers  need  the  com- 
fort of  religious  ministrations  all  the  more.  All 
the  home-mission  agencies  of  the  nation,  in  fact, 
ought  to  have  an  infusion  of  more  courage  to  un- 
dertake work  never  expected  to  'come  to  self-sup- 
port.' The  great  construction  camps  along  irriga- 
tion and  railroad  projects,  for  instance,  are  tem- 
porary communities  soon  to  disappear,  but  they 
ought  to  have  religious  opportunities  while  they 
last.  Many  a  mining  camp,  even  though  perma- 
nent, is  passed  by  because  there  aren't  enough 
Christian  people  in  it  to  make  a  church  organ- 
ization." 


Unmeasured  Values  17 

While  it  probably  would  be  difficult  to  provide 
churches  or  preachers  for  such  places,  it  is  possible 
to  maintain  Sunday  schools  and  thus  keep  alive  a 
religious  influence  until  the  time  shall  arrive  when 
a  church  develops  and  the  way  is  prepared  for  the 
settled  pastor.  But  let  us  remember  that  even  the 
temporary,  short-lived  Sunday  school  has  possibil- 
ities which  cannot  adequately  be  determined,  and  its 
by-products  can  be  known  only  by  the  wise  Prov- 
idence who  controls  men  and  circumstances,  assur- 
ing us  that  "no  chance  with  Him  is  lost" 

Thus  we  find  adequate  ground  upon  which  to 
base  our  consideration  of  the  value  of  the  by- 
products of  Sunday-school  missions.  By  concrete 
instances  we  shall  proceed  to  discover  how  the  little 
Sunday  school  is  ministering  effectively  to  the 
spiritual  and  social  necessities  of  thousands  of  fam- 
ilies whose  religious  welfare  would  otherwise  be 
neglected,  and  how  its  influence  reaches  out,  touch- 
ing life  at  every  point,  helping  to  solve  some  of  our 
most  troublesome  social  and  economic  problems, 
and  how  it  is  contributing  in  large  measure  toward 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord. 


THE  EXPULSIVE  POWER  OF  THE 
RURAL  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


A  Sunday  school  which  meets  m  a  railroad  station. 

Temporary  building  which  housed  a  rural  Sunday  school  in  the  northwest 
when  almost  the  entire  neighborhood  opposed  the  work. 

This  Sunday  school  closed  the  "pool-hall"  and  the  weekly  dance. 

This  chapel  and  Sunday  school  are  the  result  or  a  beginning  made  with  a  few- 
children  in  a  Tennessee  mountain  hamlet. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   EXPULSIVE   POWER    OF    THE    RURAL    SUNDAY 
SCHOOL 

At  a  Children's  Day  celebration  in  a  little  rural 
district  in  Wisconsin,  a  tableau  showing  the  change 
which  the  Sunday  school  had  wrought  was  ar- 
ranged, without  aid  or  suggestion  of  the  Sunday- 
school  missionary,  as  an  object  lesson  to  the  people. 
The  first  scene  showed  the  condition  of  the  com- 
munity before  the  Sunday  school  was  organized. 
Young  men  and  women  were  seated  about  tables 
playing  cards  and  drinking;  others  were  dancing 
and  still  others  showed  evidences  of  intoxication. 
The  second  scene  presented  a  picture  of  an  ideal 
home.  The  parents  and  children  were  seated  about 
the  family  table,  reading  the  Bible  and  the  Sunday- 
school  library  books,  and  studying  the  Sunday- 
school  quarterlies.  The  public  drinking  house  and 
the  dance  hall  had  disappeared,  homes  had  been 
restored,  and  families  reunited.  The  same  picture 
would  illustrate  the  change  that  has  been  experi- 
enced In  many  places  where  the  Sunday  school  has 
stood  as  the  only  influence  for  righteousness.  Wher- 
ever the  little  Sunday  school  has  been  planted  it  has 
taken  a  firm  position  as  the  enemy  of  the  saloon 
and  of  every  other  evil  that  preys  upon  the  youth. 
The   Sunday   school   aims   to   construct   Christian 

21 


22      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

character.  The  saloon  and  the  dance  hall,  which 
so  frequently  go  hand  in  hand,  depend  upon  se- 
curing new  victims  from  among  our  boys  and  girls 
— the  same  boys  and  girls  whom  the  Sunday  school 
aims  to  reach.  This  brings  them  into  direct  con- 
flict, and  those  who  are  interested  in  the  little  Sun- 
day school  soon  find  that  they  must  take  a  decided 
stand.  Some  of  the  finest  examples  of  Christian 
heroism  have  been  found  among  the  superintendents 
and  teachers  in  rural  Sunday  schools  who  have 
fought  bravely  and  successfully  against  the  evil 
conditions  which  surround  them. 

The  Sunday  school  teaches  abstinence  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  Scriptures.  Intemperance  is  held 
before  the  pupils  as  a  sin  not  only  against  oneself, 
but  against  God,  and  the  warrant  for  such  teaching 
is  found  in  his  Word.  "Take  away  the  Bible  from 
us,  and  our  warfare  against  intemperance  and  im- 
purity and  oppression  and  infidelity  and  crime  is  at 
an  end.  We  have  no  authority  to  speak,  no  courage 
to  act,"  said  William  Lloyd  Garrison. 

The  influence  of  Bible  instruction  as  it  is  given 
in  the  little  Sunday  school  has  awakened  many  a 
neighborhood  to  see  the  moral  ruin  for  which  the 
saloon  is  responsible  and  the  moral  wreckage  which 
it  has  strewed  in  their  midst.  It  has  stirred  them 
to  action.  It  has  made  the  saloon  question  vital  in 
the  community  and  has  called  upon  everyone  to  de- 
clare himself  for  or  against  it.  One  of  the  strongest 
factors  in  the  progress  of  the  anti-saloon  campaign 
all  over  our  land  has  been  the  little  rural  Sunday 


Expulsive  Power  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  23 

schools,  situated  in  localities  where  the  issue  has 
been  closely  drawn,  and  no  quarter  given.  One  or 
the  other  must  go,  but  usually  it  has  been  the  saloon, 
with  all  the  other  evils  that  it  encourages. 

It  is  invariably  the  case,  where  churches  and  Sun- 
day schools  are  lacking,  that  the  forces  of  evil  are 
doubly  active  in  taking  advantage  of  the  situation. 
The  Sunday-school  missionary  in  such  places  finds 
that  he  must  meet  these  foes.  He  has  something 
far  more  serious  than  indifference  with  which  to 
contend.  Here  the  saloon  and  the  pool  room  be- 
come the  favorite  meeting  place  lor  the  men  and 
boys;  and  the  Saturday  night  dance  is  the  social 
center  of  the  neighborhood.  To  attend  their  orgies 
the  people  come  from  a  distance  of  many  miles,  and 
with  a  plentiful  supply  of  liquor,  they  hold  high 
carnival  until  the  dawn  of  the  Lord's  Day.  "Pray 
for  Pine  Ridge,"  pleads  a  Sunday-school  mission- 
ary. "They  have  put  up  one  of  the  bravest  fights 
against  great  odds  that  I  have  ever  witnessed.  In- 
stead of  staying  with  them  one  day  as  I  had  planned, 
I  spent  five  days  encouraging  them  in  every  way  I 
could.  In  this  community  there  is  a  Saturday  night- 
Sunday  morning  dance  which  demoralizes  the 
whole  country  round  about.  They  dance  from  nine 
o'clock  on  Saturday  night  until  five,  and  sometimes 
until  seven,  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning.  A  great 
deal  of  liquor  is  consumed;  and  the  stories  of  evil 
that  I  have  heard  in  connection  with  these  perform- 
ances make  me  heartsick.  Evil  reigns  supreme. 
They  even  have  a  'relief  band'  whose  object  is  to 


24      By-Prodiicts  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

relieve  anyone  in  the  neighborhood  who  may  be 
experiencing  temporary  prosperity.  The  school 
board  in  the  adjoining  district  west  of  this  com- 
munity was  obHged  to  take  the  doors,  windows  and 
stove  out  of  their  new  schoolhouse  during  the  vaca- 
tion season,  and  store  them  away  for  safe  keeping," 
The  Sunday-school  missionary  was  tempted  to 
abandon  the  work,  but  as  he  said,  "It  looked  so 
much  like  saying  to  the  devil,  Tt  is  too  hard  for 
God,  so  you  may  have  it,'  "  so  he  determined  to 
help  them  fight  it  through.  As  the  time  came  for 
him  to  leave  the  community  the  few  who  were  in- 
terested in  religious  things  came  to  him  saying: 
"Now,  don't  give  us  up,  and  quit  coming,  even 
though  it  is  discouraging.  We  wouldn't  be  so  bad 
if  we  could  keep  this  Sunday  school  going.  Won't 
you  help  us  all  you  can?"  The  latest  reports  indi- 
cate that  this  school  is  growing.  They  were  en- 
couraged by  being  able  to  have  services  every  Sun- 
day throughout  the  winter,  in  spite  of  zero  weather. 
A  little  Sunday  school  in  the  sand  hills  of  western 
Nebraska  succeeded  in  driving  out  the  dance  hall 
in  a  unique  manner.  After  the  Sunday  school  had 
been  organized,  the  missionary  arranged  a  series  of 
evangelistic  services  with  the  hope  of  arousing 
deeper  interest  among  the  people.  While  the  meet- 
ings were  in  progress  in  the  schoolhouse,  a  dance 
hall  was  being  erected  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
distant.  Nothing  was  said  against  the  dance  hall, 
but  as  the  interest  in  the  Sunday  school  developed 
the  dance  hall  began  to  fall  into  disrepute.    Then 


Expulsive  Power  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  25 

the  people  wanted  a  church.  Some  of  the  men  of 
the  community  who  had  subscribed  for  stock  in  the 
dance-hall  enterprise  came  and  offered  to  donate 
their  holdings  to  the  church;  others  found  it  in- 
jurious to  their  reputation  to  be  known  as  dance- 
hall  stockholders,  for  the  sentiment  of  the  entire 
community  had  undergone  a  change,  and  they  sold 
out.  Finally,  those  who  were  interested  in  the 
church  found  that  they,  owned  a  majority  interest 
in  the  dance  hall,  so  they  decided  to  convert  it  to 
better  use.  The  building  was  plastered  and  painted, 
seats  and  pulpit  secured,  and  thus  it  became  the 
church  home  for  the  little  congregation,  dedicated 
and  set  apart  to  the  worship  of  God.  The  entire 
community  rejoiced  in  the  transformation  that  had 
been  wrought. 

In  nearly  every  community,  no  matter  how  god- 
less, it  is  possible  to  find  some  one  who  longs  for 
better  things  and  who  nourishes  the  hope  that  some 
day  the  missionary  will  come  their  way  and  estab- 
lish gospel  privileges  among  them.  Possibly  it  is  a 
mother  whose  boys  have  fallen  victims  to  their 
evil  surroundings  and  who  looks  upon  the  coming 
of  the  missionary  as  an  answer  to  her  prayers. 
"We  have  never  had  a  Sunday  school  here,"  writes 
a  woman  from  a  remote  Wyoming  settlement.  "Our 
neighborhood  is  twenty-eight  miles  from  the  near- 
est town,  but  there  are  at  least  fifty  families  within 
a  radius  of  ten  miles  who  should  be  interested  in 
religious  work.  Some  of  these  people  have  no\ 
been  to  church  for  seventeen  years.    I,  myself,  have 


26      By-Products  of  tJu  Rural  Sunday  School 

not  heard  a  sermon  for  seven  years,  as  it  is  twenty- 
eight  miles  to  the  nearest  church,  but  when  a  dance 
is  given  at  a  ranch  house  the  people  come  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  miles  and  farther.  Frequently 
they  have  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hun- 
dred people  in  attendance.  I  have  long  wanted  a 
Sunday  school  but  no  one  is  willing  to  lead  the 
movement."  It  is  the  Sunday-school  missionary 
who  must  organize  the  work  and  find  leaders  to 
carry  it  forward.  In  such  places  it  takes  consider- 
able courage  for  anyone  to  come  forward  as  a  leader 
in  a  movement  which  will  antagonize  the  existing 
forms  of  evil  and  questionable  amusements  of  which 
the  people  do  not  want  to  be  deprived.  But  after 
the  Sunday  school  has  had  an  opportunity  to  dem- 
onstrate its  value  to  the  neighborhood,  many  of 
those  -.vho  at  first  were  indifferent  or  opposed  to  it, 
have  become  its  supporters. 

In  a  country  neighborhood  in  northwestern  Mis- 
souri, where  a  Sunday-school  missionary  had  been 
at  work,  some  evangelistic  meetings  were  held. 
During  these  services  a  number  of  young  people 
professed  conversion,  among  them  being  a  young 
man  who  had  been  the  organizer  and  leader  of  the 
neighborhood  weekly  dance,  besides  enjoying  the 
distinction  of  being  the  champion  pool  player  for 
miles  around.  The  dances  have  been  discontinued 
and  this  young  man  has  centered  all  his  interests 
in  the  Sunday  school.  With  his  own  hands  he  made 
a  pulpit  for  the  little  chapel,  and  he  is  present  with 
his  children  at  every  session  of  the  Sunday  school. 


Expulsive  Pozcer  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  27 

The  dance  hall  and  the  saloon  go  hand  in  hand. 
Where  the  one  flourishes  the  other  thrives,  and  the 
Sunday  school,  especially  in  new  communities,  thus 
finds  its  evil  foes  doubly  fortified  against  any  re- 
forms which  it  may  hope  to  effect.  A  little  cross- 
roads Sunday  school  was  started  about  twelve 
miles  from  the  nearest  town  in  a  needy  section  of 
Minnesota.  The  community  could  not  support  a 
church,  and  the  Sunday-school  missionary  was  the 
only  pastor  they  knew.  A  little  distance  down  the 
road  were  two  saloons,  both  doing  a  good  business. 
Side  by  side  these  agents  of  Satan  and  of  Christ 
worked  for  three  years,  each  striving  to  overcome 
the  influence  of  the  other.  But  the  little  Sunday 
school  won  the  fight,  and  now  the  boys  and  girls 
are  being  trained  for  Christian  living  instead  of 
for  the  saloon,  since  both  saloons  were  obliged  to 
close  their  doors.  Another  little  Sunday  school  in 
Minnesota  had  a  prize  fighter  for  its  first  superin- 
tendent. The  people  felt  that  in  a  community  so 
irreligious,  force  rather  than  religion  would  be 
needed  in  maintaining  the  Sunday  school.  Later 
the  prize  fighter  became  a  new  creature  in  Christ 
and  this  neighborhood  lost  its  reputation  for  god- 
lessness — another  by-product  of  the  rural  school. 
In  the  far  West  among  the  ranchmen,  the  Sunday- 
school  missionary  sees  everywhere  the  degrading 
effect  of  liquor  traffic.  Here  he  meets  fine  speci- 
mens of  young  manhood,  who,  finding  themselves 
far  removed  from  the  restraints  of  the  more  thickly 
settled  parts,  with  no  recreation  or  amusements,  and 


28      By-Products  of  the  Rurcd  Sunday  School 

no  one  to  uphold  high  ideals,  soon  fall  into  loose 
habits  and  become  victims  of  drink.  An  Idaho 
Sunday-school  missionaty  had  an  interesting  experi- 
ence in  a  ranch  community,  which  illustrates  in  a 
very  striking  manner  the  power  of  the  Sunday 
school  and  the  by-product  through  which  its  influ- 
ence will  go  on  in  ever-increasing  service  for  the 
kingdom.     Let  the  missionary  tell  the  story: 

"Some  time  ago  I  visited  a  new  frontier  village, 
in  a  cattle  country,  where  thousands  of  cattle 
roamed  over  the  plains,  and  through  which  a  rail- 
road had  just  been  built.  Being  informed  of  the 
godless  character  of  the  place,  and  the  need  of  gos- 
pel work  in  the  community,  I  dropped  in  and  found 
three  saloons  and  two  general  stores,  a  blacksmith 
shop,  a  small  drug  store,  and  a  few  other  stores 
doing  business  in  tents.  There  were  several  fam- 
ilies, some  living  in  small  houses,  others  in  tents. 
The  saloons  were  well  patronized  day  and  night  by 
the  cowboys  from  the  surrounding  cattle  ranches. 
The  town  had  been  'shot  up'  on  several  occasions 
by  drunken  cowboys.  A  small  building  had  just 
been  erected  for  school  and  church  purposes ;  there 
were  two  or  three  Qiristian  families  in  the  com- 
munity that  were  hoping  for  the  time  to  come  when 
they  could  have  Sunday  school  and  occasional 
preaching  service.  We  held  a  few  meetings  and 
organized  a  Sunday  school.  Early  one  morning  a 
business  man,  w^ho  conducted  one  of  the  stores, 
went  to  the  depot  to  inquire  about  some  goods  he 
was  expecting.     As  he  turned  to  go  back  to  his 


Expulsive  Pozver  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  29 

place  of  business  he  saw  two  young  men  dressed  in 
cowboy  attire  sitting  on  the  depot  steps.  He  stepped 
up  to  them  and  inquired  if  they  would  be  in  town 
overnight.  Both  were  under  the  influence  of  liquor, 
having  spent  the  night  in  the  saloons.  The  larger 
of  the  two  replied  that  they  came  in  yesterday  from 
the  cattle  ranch,  that  they  spent  all  night  in  the 
saloons,  and  that  they  might  go  back  to-day  and 
might  not  for  two  or  three  days. 

"  'Well,  boys,'  said  he,  *if  you  are  in  town  to- 
night come  up  to  the  little  chapel  yonder.  We  are 
having  gospel  services  there  every  night,  the  first 
we  have  ever  had,  boys,  in  this  part  of  the  country ; 
and  everybody  is  coming.' 

"'What,'  said  the  cowboy,  'preaching?  I  didn't 
think  there  was  a  preacher  within  a  hundred  miles 
of  here.  No,'  he  continued,  'we  couldn't  go  to 
preaching,  we  are  too  rough.' 

"  'Now,  boys,'  said  the  business  man,  'I  am  in 
earnest  in  this  matter ;  I  want  you  to  come.  Where 
will  you  be  this  evening  at  7:  30?' 

"  'If  in  town,  likely  in  the  saloon,'  said  the  cow- 
boy. 

"That  evening  before  service  the  business  man 
went  to  the  saloon  and  found  the  young  men. 

"  'Now,  boys,'  said  he,  'I  have  come  after  you, 
and  I  want  you  to  come  with  me  to  the  service.' 

"They  tried  to  excuse  themselves  by  saying  that 
they  had  nothing  but  the  cowboy  clothing  that  they 
had  on,  and  couldn't  go  in  that  condition. 


30      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

"  'Never  mind  your  clothes,'  said  the  business 
man.  'Throw  off  your  cartridge  belts  and  put  your 
guns  behind  the  bar,  and  come  as  you  are ;  you  will 
be  welcome/ 

"I  shall  never  forget  that  evening  when  that  man 
came  into  the  little  chapel  with  the  two  cowboys, 
taking  a  seat  by  their  side  on  one  of  the  wooden 
benches  in  the  rear  of  the  room. 

"The  service  had  not  yet  commenced,  and  as  I 
looked  into  the  face  of  the  larger  of  the  two,  al- 
though the  marks  of  dissipation  were  plainly  visible, 
beneath  were  the  lines  of  character;  and  I  said  to 
myself,  'There  is  a  diamond  in  the  rough,  and  by 
the  grace  of  God  we  must  get  it  out.' 

"As  I  preached  that  night  I  prayed.  The  cow- 
boy was  restless  at  first ;  but  soon  after  I  began  my 
address  he  turned  his  eyes  upon  me  and  never  took 
them  off  until  I  was  through.  At  the  close  of  my 
address  I  saw  that  he  was  deeply  interested  and 
greatly  agitated,  and  when  I  gave  the  invitation  to 
stand  to  all  who  would  forsake  their  evil  way  and 
confess  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Saviour  from 
sin,  a  number  arose.  Among  the  first  to  stand 
was  this  cowboy.  He  came  out  from  his  seat  and 
up  the  aisle  to  the  platform  and,  with  tears  stream- 
ing down  his  cheeks,  he  put  out  his  hand  to  me 
saying,  'Parson,  will  you  let  me  say  a  word?' 

"He  turned  to  the  audience  and  began  to  speak. 
He  hadn't  spoken  but  a  minute  until  it  was  evident 
that  he  was  an  educated  young  man ;  his  grammar 
was  perfect.    He  told  of  his  boyhood  home  and  his 


Expulsive  Poiver  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  31 

past  life ;  he  was  the  only  child  of  well-to-do  parents 
in  old  New  England.  His  parents  had  given  him  a 
fine  education.  He  graduated  with  high  honors 
from  one  of  our  largest  Eastern  colleges.  His 
parents  wanted  him  to  enter  the  ministry.  'But/ 
said  he,  'I  was  never  converted;  my  heart  turned 
away  from  the  ministry,  and  soon  after  my  gradu- 
ation I  ran  away  from  home  and  came  out  to  this 
Western  country,  and  for  years  I  have  ridden  the 
range,  and  gone  to  the  depths  of  sin.  For  five 
years  I  have  not  written  my  mother,  and  she  doesn't 
know  but  what  her  boy  is  dead.' 

"When  he  mentioned  the  name  'mother,'  he  broke 
down  and  cried,  'My  God,  have  I  killed  my  poor 
mother  ?' 

"I  have  witnessed  many  touching  scenes  m  my 
twenty-eight  years  of  pioneer  mission  life  in  this 
Western  country,  but  seldom  have  I  witnessed  a 
more  touching  scene  than  this.  There  wasn't  a  dry 
eye  in  that  audience,  and  the  Holy  Spirit's  power 
was  wonderfully  manifest.  The  cowboy  fell  upon 
his  knees  in  front  of  the  platform,  pleading  with 
God  for  mercy,  and  asking  forgiveness. 

"That  business  man,  God  bless  him,  came  and 
knelt  by  his  side ;  others  came  and  gathered  around 
that  group,  and  before  he  arose  from  his  knees  the 
pardon  of  God  came  to  him;  and  as  he  arose  he 
threw  his  arms  around  his  friend  exclaiming,  'God 
bless  you,  sir,  for  bringing  me  here  to-night.' 

"The  business  man  said  to  him,  'Come  home  with 
me  to-night ;  I  want  you  to  spend  the  night  with  me.' 


22      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

"  'Thank  you,  sir,'  said  the  cowboy,  'but  no  sleep 
for  me  until  I  know  if  mother  is  alive.  If  mother  is 
dead,  sir,  I  never  can  forgive  myself.  I  have  killed 
her.  God  has  forgiven  me,  sir,  but  I  can  never  for- 
give myself  if  mother  is  dead.' 

"He  went  to  the  little  station,  and  this  message 
flashed  over  the  wire  to  the  old  New  England  home : 
'Your  long  lost  boy  is  found  and  saved.  Answer 
quickly.    Charley.' 

"He  walked  the  floor  of  the  little  station  that 
night  for  the  return  message.  About  ten  o'clock 
the  next  morning  it  came,  and  the  first  words  of 
the  message  were  these:  'Thank  God,  our  boy  still 
lives.    Come  home  at  once.    Father,  Mother.' 

"The  young  man  leaped  for  joy,  praising  God  that 
his  life  had  been  spared  to  his  dear  mother,  and 
that  she  would  see  her  boy  saved  and  in  his  right 
mind.  The  next  evening  he  came  to  the  service 
nicely  dressed.  That  dissipated  look  was  gone,  and 
the  love  of  God  shone  in  his  countenance.  He 
brought  with  him  to  the  service  two  young  men, 
former  companions  whom  he  had  helped  to  drag 
down  in  sin. 

"In  the  after  service  that  evening,  he  gave  a  testi- 
mony of  wonderful  power,  and  getting  his  two 
companions  on  their  knees  in  prayer  he  never  let 
them  rise  until  he  led  them  to  Christ.  The  third 
day  he  took  the  train  for  the  old  New  England 
hom-e  to  bring  cheer  and  comfort  to  the  dear  par- 
ents who  had  mourned  their  only  child  as  lost. 


Expulsive  Pozver  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  33 

"He  remained  at  home  some  time,  entering  with 
all  his  heart  and  soul  into  Christian  work,  and  later, 
carrying  out  the  desire  of  his  parents,  he  began 
to  prepare  for  the  ministry.  Already  he  has  been 
the  instrument  under  God  of  leading  many  souls 
to  Christ." 

That  godless  frontier  village  is  to-day  a  pros- 
perous town  of  more  than  two  thousand  popula- 
tion; a  peace-loving  and  God-fearing  people.  That 
little  Sunday  school  has  grown  to  a  strong,  self- 
supporting  church,  sending  out  its  beneficent  rays  of 
blessing  throughout  all  that  region  of  country. 
This  is  the  result  of  a  little  Sunday  school  in  a 
rural  settlement. 

In  a  little  town  in  a  northwestern  state  where  a 
comfortable  little  Presbyterian  church  stands  to-day 
as  the  direct  outgrowth  of  the  work  of  a  little  Sun- 
day school,  we  have  a  splendid  illustration  of  the 
triumph  of  the  Sunday  school  over  the  saloon. 
When  the  Sunday  school  was  organized,  there  were 
fifteen  saloons  and  a  population  of  about  three  hun- 
dred. The  outlook  was  most  discouraging.  The  whole 
neighborhood  was  completely  under  the  control  of 
the  liquor  men.  When  the  missionary  visited  the 
people  for  the  first  time  they  advised  him  not  to 
attempt  any  work  among  them.  One  storekeeper 
took  him  aside  and  said,  "I  would  dislike  very  much 
to  see  you  leave  town  discouraged,  so  in  my  judg- 
ment the  best  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  leave  town 
before  you  undertake  to  do  anything."  The  mis- 
sionary said  he  would  stay  and  fight  it  out.    "If  yon 


34      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

feel  that  way  about  it,"  he  said,  "you  can  depend 
on  me,  and  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  help  you." 

True  to  his  promise,  the  missionary  began  to  look 
about  for  a  place  of  meeting.  He  finally  secured 
the  use  of  a  room,  and  then  started  out  to  invite 
every  one  to  attend  the  service.  After  doing  all  this 
he  felt  that  one  thing  more  must  be  done  to  stir 
the  people.  So  he  took  his  stand  on  the  street  cor- 
ner between  two  saloons  and  sang  a  gospel  song. 
Then  as  the  men  gathered  about  him,  he  invited 
them  to  attend  the  meeting.  The  attendance  was 
not  large  but  sufficiently  encouraging  to  go  on,  so 
he  advertised  services  to  continue  every  night  for 
the  remainder  of  the  week.  The  interest  increased 
and  on  Sunday  the  first  Sunday  school  in  that  en- 
tire district  was  organized.  Men  who  had  been 
notorious  characters  were  present  at  that  service 
and  expressed  their  determination  to  lead  better 
lives  and  to  support  the  good  work.  A  physician 
who  had  lost  his  reputation  and  practice  through 
drunkenness  became  a  new  creature  in  Christ.  He 
was  among  the  first  to  urge  the  organization  of  a 
church  in  addition  to  the  Sunday  school.  Later  he 
was  elected  as  chairman  of  the  building  commit- 
tee. He  superintended  the  building  of  that  church, 
and  when  not  engaged  in  his  practice,  which  he  had 
largely  recovered,  he  could  be  found  with  hammer 
and  saw,  hard  at  work  on  the  building,  trying  to 
honor  Him  who  had  saved  him  from  a  life  of  sin. 
But  what  happened  to  the  saloons?  A  few  weeks 
ago  they  held  an  election  to  vote  on  "no  license," 


Expulsive  Power  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  35 

and   the    saloon    interests    were   completely    over- 
whelmed. 

In  missionary  work  among  the  mountaineers  of 
the  South,  the  Sunday-school  missionary  finds  that 
the  greatest  hindrance  to  his  work  is  the  saloon  and 
the  "blind  tiger."  Probably  nine-tenths  of  the 
crimes  committed  in  that  region  can  be  traced  di- 
rectly to  strong  drink,  but  even  there  where  drink- 
ing is  so  prevalent,  the  Sunday  school  in  many  in- 
stances has  succeeded  in  restraining  it  to  a  large 
degree,  and  in  some  cases  in  removing  it  completely. 
In  a  mountain  village  along  one  of  the  creeks  in 
east  Tennessee  a  distillery  and  saloon  had  been  doing 
a  thriving  business  for  fifteen  years  or  more.  Un- 
der the  "four-mile  law"  this  saloon  was  compelled 
to  close.  Our  Sunday-school  missionary,  seeing  in 
this  circumstance  the  opportunity  for  which  he  had 
long  been  waiting,  immediately  canvassed  the  en- 
tire community  and  made  his  enterprise  doubly 
sure  by  renting  the  saloon  building  for  the  first 
session  of  the  Sunday  school  which  he  intended  to 
organize.  The  people  responded  heartily  and  the 
school  grew  very  encouragingly.  After  the  school 
had  been  carried  on  for  some  time  the  Sunday- 
school  missionary  held  evangelistic  services,  as  a 
result  of  which  fifty  persons  confessed  Christ,  most 
of  them  uniting  with  the  Presbyterian  church  three 
miles  distant.  The  need  of  having  their  own  build- 
ing became  more  pressing  week  by  week.  The  peo- 
ple were  very  poor,  but  after  all  had  subscribed  they 
found  that  more  than  fifty  dollars  had  been  raised, 


36      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

The  Sunday-school  missionary  undertook  the  task 
of  helping  them  erect  a  chapel,  and  in  a  few  days 
succeeded  in  securing  a  donation  of  a  piece  of 
ground  in  a  central  location.  It  was  impossible  to 
raise  enough  money  to  buy  new  lumber,  so  the 
missionary  opened  negotiations  with  the  owner  of 
the  saloon,  purchased  it  for  seventy-five  dollars 
and  moved  it  down  to  the  ground  that  had  been 
donated.  With  the  help  of  a  few  friends,  they 
reconstructed  it,  placing  a  small  steeple  on  the  front, 
and  there  it  stands  to-day  as  a  Presbyterian  church. 
As  soon  as  it  was  completed,  special  services  were 
held  and  twenty-nine  more  persons  confessed 
Christ.  This  little  mountain  village  has  shown  evi- 
dences of  complete  transformation.  It  is  a  re- 
deemed community,  families  that  were  estranged  for 
years  have  been  reunited  and  the  children  are  being 
trained  in  the  fear  of  God. 

A  little  town  of  about  three  hundred  people  had 
been  in  existence  for  twenty-three  years  without 
churches  or  Sunday  schools.  Alinisters  of  all  de- 
nominations had  passed  it  by  as  hopeless.  Its  repu- 
tation for  lawlessness  was  known  everywhere.  Il- 
licit distilleries  did  a  thriving  business  and  shooting 
affrays  were  frequent.  The  Sunday-school  mission- 
ary was  warned  not  to  attempt  any  work  there,  but, 
true  to  his  duty,  he  felt  that  the  children,  at  least, 
should  have  some  opportunity  to  rise  above  their 
evil  surroundings.  A  Sunday  school  was  organized 
without  any  encouragement  from  the  community. 
The  missionary  cared  for  it,  visiting  it  as  often  as 


Expulsive  Power  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  37 

possible  and  gradually  its  influence  began  to  be  felt. 
The  people  became  more  interested,  as  they  dis- 
covered what  a  firm  hold  the  Sunday-school  teaching 
had  taken  upon  their  children.  Gambling  was 
stopped  by  common  consent.  The  illicit  distilleries 
found  their  business  declining  and  soon  they  were 
obliged  to  move  out.  The  necessity  for  a  chapel 
building  became  very  pressing,  and  in  response  to 
the  missionary's  appeal  eleven  hundred  dollars  was 
contributed  to  erect  a  comfortable  house  of  worship. 
The  church  was  organized  and  regular  preaching 
was  maintained.  Even  the  traveling  men  who  visit 
this  town  remark  concerning  the  change  that  has 
taken  place  since  the  Sunday  school  came  in  and 
caused  the  liquor  interests  to  move  out.  Doubtless 
this  neighborhood  would  have  gone  on  for  years  in 
its  degraded  condition,  but  for  the  little  Sunday 
school.  A  church  could  never  have  been  started 
without  its  preparatory  work.  This  is  a  fine  illus- 
tration of  the  expulsive  power  of  the  Sunday 
school.  A  veteran  missionary  who  has  planted  hun- 
dreds of  Sunday  schools  in  destitute  neighborhoods, 
said  recently,  "In  many  a  western  settlement  I  have 
seen  the  little  Sunday  school  drive  out  the  saloon, 
the  pool  hall,  the  weekly  dance  and  the  gambling 
den." 

These  illustrations  show  what  the  rural  Sun- 
day school  can  do  in  a  neighborhood  where  the 
forces  of  evil  have  been  in  possession.  In  hundreds 
of  cases  where  similar  conditions  have  prevailed, 
the  uplifting  influence  of  gospel  teaching  in  the  lit- 


38      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

tie  Sunday  school  has  gradually  made  itself  felt 
throughout  the  entire  community.  Nowhere  do  we 
see  the  parable  of  the  leaven  so  forcefully  illus- 
trated as  in  missionary  work  of  this  kind.  Again 
we  are  reminded  of  the  words  of  the  Psalmist,  "The 
entrance  of  thy  words  giveth  light."  How  often 
the  rural  Sunday  school  has  been  as  a  light  shining 
in  darkness,  but  growing  brighter  and  brighter  until 
its  glow  is  diffused  in  every  comer,  dispelling  dark- 
ness, radiating  warmth  and  bringing  new  life  to 
thousands  who  have  been  dead  in  sin  and  indiffer- 
ence !  Does  it  not  revive  our  faith  and  strengthen 
our  purpose  in  Christian  work  when  we  see  how 
effectively  God  uses  even  the  humblest  effort  put 
forth  in  his  name  to  overcome  evil?  Some  one  has 
wisely  said  that  the  secret  of  all  social  reform  is  to 
"empty  by  filling."  We  are  told  that  nature  abhors 
a  vacuum.  "We  cannot  pump  darkness  out  of  a 
room ;  we  must  empty  it  by  filling  it  with  light.  One 
tallow  dip  will  do  more  to  exclude  darkness  than 
a  thousand  steam  pumps.  The  only  way  to  shut 
out  disease  is  to  fill  the  veins  with  health.  In  mor- 
als we  must  banish  the  degrading  by  the  elevating." 
We  must  crowd  out  the  saloon,  the  dance  hall  and 
kindred  evils  that  are  undermining  the  characters 
of  our  boys  and  girls,  especially  in  neighborhoods 
where  there  is  no  restraining  influence,  by  introduc- 
ing the  Sunday  school  with  its  Bible  lessons,  its 
wholesome  literature  and  its  exalted  ideals. 

A  pastor  making  an  earnest  appeal  for  Sunday- 
school  missionaries  to  labor  in  a  needy  district  of 


Expulsive  Pozoer  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School  39 

the  northwest,  states  that  there  are  "four  hundred 
neighborhoods  without  churches  or  Sunday  schools." 
The  writer  adds :  "In  ten  to  twenty  years,  if  the 
gospel  is  not  given  these  places,  a  generation  of 
children  will  grow  up  knowing  very  little  of  Chris- 
tianity, of  Christian  life,  but  a  great  deal  of  vice 
which  seems  to  take  root  in  this  virgin  soil,  as  do 
the  noxious  weeds  and  brambles  in  a  neglected 
field.  Saloons,  roadhouses  and  dance  halls  are 
planted  everywhere  long  in  advance  of  the  coming 
of  the  missionary.  What  will  you  do  with  these 
four  hundred  villages  and  hamlets?" 

This  work  is  fundamental  to  the  success  of  many 
other  forms  of  service.  Through  Sunday-school 
missions  we  not  only  bring  the  boys  and  girls  into 
contact  with  regenerating  influences,  but  we  are  in- 
directly aiding  the  cause  of  temperance  and  pro- 
moting a  higher  social  morality.  These  by-products 
of  the  rural  Sunday  school  are  placed  first  because 
they  are  the  first  steps  toward  a  redeemed  commu- 
nity. Let  us  look  farther  and  see  how  the  Sunday 
school  changes  home  life,  and  how  neighborhoods 
have  been  transformed  by  its  renovating  work. 


COMMUNITIES  REDEEMED 


1.  An  oil  camp  made  over  bv  the  Sunday  school. 

2.  The  school  that  transformed  a  degraded  negro  neighborhood. 

3.  Some  pupils  in  a  rural  Sunday  school,  thirty  miles  from  the  nearest    church. 

4.  This  home  furnishes  four  devoted  Sunday-school  workers  who  walk  eleven 

miles  to  the  schoolhouse  every  Sunday. 


CHAPTER  III 

COMMUNITIES  REDEEMED 

Along  the  banks  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  which 
winds  its  way  in  and  out  among  the  foothills  of  the 
Blue  Ridge,  a  primitive  people  had  been  left  to 
dwell  unmolested  for  generations,  with  no  knowl- 
edge or  vision  of  the  great  world  beyond  the  tower- 
ing hills.  But  the  silence  of  centuries  has  been 
broken  by  the  invasion  of  a  great  industry.  Here 
the  geologist  has  laid  bare  hidden  treasures,  which 
mean  untold  wealth  to  the  capitalist.  All  over  those 
steep  hillsides  they  are  boring  deep  into  nature's 
treasure  house;  and,  dotted  here  and  there,  the 
pumps  and  derricks  may  be  seen,  bringing  the  oil  to 
the  surface,  where  it  is  sent  forth  by  pipe  line  to 
the  world's  market. 

One  day  the  news  came  that  "a  gusher"  had  been 
opened  some  fifty  miles  up  the  river.  The  rush 
began,  and  a  town  sprang  up,  as  it  were,  in  a  night. 
The  rougher  element  were  in  possession.  There 
was  no  Sabbath,  for  every  day  was  alike.  There 
was  neither  church  nor  Sunday  school  to  counteract 
the  wide-openness  of  this  town  in  the  midst  of  a  new 
and  promising  oil  field.  Two  young  fellows  ofifered 
the  prosecuting  attorney  twenty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars if  he  would  prevent  an  indictment  for  six 
months,  that  they  might  sell  whisky.     Conditions 

43 


44      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

were  degrading  in  the  extreme.  But,  as  in  Sodom, 
there  were  a  few  faithful  people  who  had  succeeded 
in  resisting  the  temptations  with  which  they  were 
surrounded.  Among  these  were  several  good  wo- 
men whose  help  could  be  depended  upon,  and  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  Sunday-school  missionary  they 
gathered  together  a  company  of  little  children  in 
one  of  the  homes  to  make  arrangements  for  a  Sun- 
day school.  Under  great  discouragement,  and  fear 
of  opposition,  they  decided  to  make  the  attempt  to 
maintain  a  Sunday  school ;  and  that  decision  marked 
the  beginning  of  a  new  era  for  the  whole  district. 
At  first  they  labored  against  great  odds,  but  soon 
their  example  and  their  faith  began  to  impress  even 
those  who  were  opposing  the  work.  There  was  a 
noticeable  difference,  too,  in  the  character  and  be- 
havior of  the  children.  Thus  the  Sunday  school 
gradually  came  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  real  benefit 
to  the  community.  They  found  that  it  was  teaching 
the  children  things  that  made  a  difference  in  their 
home  life.  Ambitions  were  awakened,  the  Sunday- 
school  literature  was  taken  into  the  homes  and  was 
eagerly  read  by  the  parents  as  well  as  by  the  chil- 
dren. Soon  an  adult  class  was  formed  in  the  Sun- 
day school,  and  thus  the  interest  developed  to  such 
an  extent  that  the  people  refused  to  be  satisfied 
with  a  Sunday  school  only,  but  clamored  for  preach- 
ing services  besides.  A  pastor  was  secured,  and  the 
little  organization  began  to  be  the  center  around 
which  the  interest  of  the  entire  community  was  en- 
circled.   To-day  a  comfortable  chapel  stands  on  the 


Communities  Redeemed  45 

hilltop  as  a  monument  to  the  work  of  the  little  Sun- 
day school  which,  in  the  beginning,  stood  bravely 
and  alone,  as  the  representative  of  a  higher  standara 
of  life  and  conduct,  against  almost  an  entire  neigh- 
borhood that  had  yielded  itself  to  the  forces  of 
evil.  It  tells  the  story,  too,  of  hundreds  of  com- 
munities whose  redemption  may  be  traced  to  the 
coming  of  the  Sunday  school  into  their  midst. 

On  the  western  plains,  in  districts  where  people 
are  living  long  distances  apart,  and  where  no  one 
has  ever  had  the  courage  to  try  to  start  a  church, 
the  Sunday  school  represents  the  only  gospel  influ- 
ence that  the  people  are  privileged  to  have.  They 
are  too  poor  and  too  scattered  to  support  churches 
that  would  warrant  preachers  in  locating  there.  A 
Sunday-school  missionary  who  has  planted  a  num- 
ber of  rural  Sunday  schools  in  such  districts,  tried 
the  plan  of  holding  Sunday-school  conventions  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  are  the  workers  in  the  little 
schools  which  he  has  started,  and  for  any  others 
who  were  interested.  In  describing  one  of  these 
conventions  which  was  held  in  a  schoolhouse,  far 
out  on  the  prairie,  a  missionary  tells  us  that  at  the 
afternoon  session  the  little  room  was  packed,  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  people  being  present. 
The  missionary  was  surprised  to  see  such  a  large 
gathering  in  a  region  that  seemed  to  be  so  sparsely 
settled.  "Where  did  all  these  people  come  from?" 
he  inquired.  He  was  told  that,  many  of  them  had 
driven  distances  of  from  fourteen  to  twenty  miles, 
and  some  had  come  thirty,  miles.    Thus  do  they  ap- 


46      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

preciate  such  opportunities,  and  they  are  deeply  in- 
terested in  what  the  Sunday  school  is  doing  for 
them  and  for  their  children.  The  Sunday  school 
has  been  the  means  of  setting  up  the  family  altar 
in  many  a  sod  shack  and  one  would  be  surprised 
to  find  such  spiritual  fellowship  as  may  be  experi- 
enced among  these  people.  These  Sunday-school 
officers  and  teachers  carry  the  whole  community 
upon  their  hearts.  This  incident  is  related  not  be- 
cause it  is  isolated  and  striking,  but  because  it  fairly 
illustrates  what  the  rural  Sunday  school  means  in 
such  places,  and  what  a  large  place  it  occupies  in 
the  life  of  the  people  scfattered  over  these  western 
prairies,  where  there  is  not  a  church  within  reach 
and  only  occasionally  is  a  minister  seen.  To  see  the 
wholesome  effect  of  the  little  country  Sunday  school 
upon  these  prairie  settlements,  gives  one  a  deeper 
conception  of  the  invaluable  service  which  it  ren- 
ders to  the  citizenship  of  this  nation.  What  does 
the  Sunday-school  missionary  say  about  it? 

"Away  down  in  the  southwest,  along  the  Cimar- 
ron River,  I  walked  over  the  sand  hills,  through  the 
sagebrush  and  soap  weed,  where  there  are  miles 
between  the  scattered  homes.  People  are  living  in 
dugouts,  half  dugouts  and  shacks,  holding  down 
their  claims — some  of  the  finest  people  I  have 
known.  We  organized  a  Sunday  school,  a  wee  bit 
of  a  school  with  two  classes.  It  has  come  up  through 
hard  struggles,  but  is  winning  out  and  getting  on  its 
feet.  It  is  the  whole  religious  life  of  the  commun- 
ity.   Wl^t  would  they  do  without  it!    There  are 


Communities  Redeemed  4? 

many  just  like  it."  This  is  the  testimony  of  a  man 
who  has  seen  homes  and  entire  neighborhoods 
brought  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  through  the  work  oi 
the  little  Sunday  school. 

Sometimes  the  coming  of  a  Qiristian  man  or 
woman  into  a  neighborhood  gives  a  new  start  to 
the  Sunday  school  and  enables  it  to  minister  in  an 
effective  way  to  the  life  of  the  people.  A  little  town 
in  Iowa  had  been  in  a  state  of  religious  stagnation 
for  nearly  thirty  years,  with  no  apparent  hope  of 
improvement.  This  neighborhood  had  an  unsavory 
reputation.  It  had  earned  its  bad  name  by  the 
drunkenness  and  crime  that  had  become  so  com- 
mon in  it  as  to  be  of  almost  daily  occurrence.  Be- 
fore the  Sunday-school  missionary  found  this  place 
an  effort  had  been  made  to  conduct  a  little  Sunday 
school,  but  it  had  not  made  any  impression  upon  the 
life  of  the  people.  The  missionary  saw  the  oppor- 
tunity, and  knowing  what  the  Sunday  school  had 
accomplished  in  other  places,  started  out  to  discover 
some  one  who  would  take  hold  of  this  feeble  Sun- 
day school,  revive  it  and  make  it  a  neighborhood 
affair.  He  succeeded  in  enlisting  the  interest  of  a 
physician  and  his  wife,  both  of  whom  were  Chris- 
tians, and  who  had  but  recently  moved  there.  They 
have  a  Sunday  school  to-day  with  a  member- 
ship of  more  than  one  hundred,  and  a  Presbyterian 
church  with  an  attendance  of  from  seventy-five  to 
one  hundred.  It  is  the  usual  thing  to  find  that  one- 
half  of  the  attendance  is  composed  of  men  and  boys. 
Intemperance,  Sunday  baseball,  hunting  and  horse- 


48      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

racing,  as  well  as  low  dances,  have  been  compelled 
to  give  way  before  the  splendid  work  of  this  little 
Sunday  school.  The  life  of  the  entire  village  has 
been  reconstructed.  Even  the  highways  have  been 
improved.  Through  the  encouragement  given  by 
this  consecrated  physician  and  his  wife,  a  course 
of  free  lectures  and  entertainments  is  conducted 
during  the  winter.  Church  services  are  held  in  the 
Odd  Fellows'  building,  in  a  room  formerly  used  for 
a  saloon.  The  doctor  is  helping  them,  not  only  with 
his  medical  knowledge,  but  with  his  wise  advice 
and  excellent  judgment,  to  build  up  the  work  upon 
a  permanent  basis.  No  call  goes  unheeded  if  he 
feels  that  by  responding  to  it  he  may  be  able  to 
awaken  the  young  people,  and  adults  as  well,  to  see 
their  opportunities  and  to  take  advantage  of  them. 
The  day  is  not  far  distant  when  the  community  will 
demand  a  house  of  worship  in  place  of  the  present 
room,  where,  under  the  faded  paint  on  the  front 
door,  one  reads,  "No  minors  allowed." 

Again  the  rural  Sunday  school  discovers  people 
who,  years  before,  in  their  former  homes,  had  been 
Christians,  church  members,  and  sometimes  active 
church  workers.  There  are  thousands  of  people 
living  in  rural  parts  of  America,  who,  upon  moving 
into  new  neighborhods,  have  not  had  sufficient 
strength  and  grace  to  take  a  stand  for  Christ  in 
their  new  environment,  and  have  fallen  into  the 
easy,  careless  ways  of  those  about  them,  concealing 
the  fact  of  their  former  church  connection.  It  has 
frequently  occurred  that  the  visit  of  the  Sunday- 


Communities  Redeemed  49 

school  missionary  and  the  planting  of  a  little  Sun- 
day school  have  brought  back  to  such  people  the 
teachings  of  the  early  days.    They  have  been  led  to 
come  out  on  the  side  of  truth  and  to  exert  their  in- 
fluence upon  the  neighborhood  in  the  direction  of 
higher  and  nobler  ideals.    A  Sunday-school  mission- 
ary in  Idaho  recently  had  an  interesting  experience 
of  this  kind.     He   was  prospecting  the   Medicine 
Lodge  country  near  the  Montana  border,  which  he 
was  told  had  never  been  visited  by  a  Christian  min- 
ister or  missionary.     He  tells  the  story  of  the  re- 
claiming of  a  backslider  and  the  redemption  of  a 
community.  "After  leaving  the  railroad  and  driving 
by  team  more  than  thirty  miles  over  desert  plains, 
through  valley  and  caiion,  I  found  people  living  all 
along  the  valley,  some  having  been  there  for  twenty- 
five  years.    One  Sunday  morning  we  had  service  in 
the  little  schoolhouse,  the  first  gospel  service  in  all 
that  region  of  country.    About  twenty  persons  were 
present,  more  than  half  of  them  children.    A  well- 
to-do  ranchman,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  the 
valley,  in  whose  home  I  stayed  overnight,  attended 
the  service  with  his  family.    He  had  given  no  indi- 
cation that  he  had  ever  been  a  church  member,  but 
before  I  was  through  with  my  address  I  saw  that  he 
was  interested.    At  the  close  of  the  ser\nce  I  went 
to  his  home  to  get  my  grip.     He  followed  me  in, 
went  to  an  old  trunk  and  took  out  a  copy  of  a  worn, 
leather-bound  Bible,  opened  it  and  took  from  be- 
tween  its   leaves   a   church   letter   and   handed   it 
to  me,    It  was  his  letter  of  dismission  from  his  old 


50      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

church  in  Scotland,  recommending  him  to  the 
church  in  America.  It  was  dated  1880  and  signed 
by  the  pastor  of  the  church.  I  could  speak  but  a 
few  words  to  him  as  he  turned  away  to  conceal  his 
emotions.  For  thirty-three  years  he  had  wandered 
and  drifted  from  the  teaching  and  profession  of  his 
boyhood  years.  As  I  started  to  drive  away  he  took 
me  warmly  by  the  hand  saying,  'Come  again.'  We 
organized  a  little  Sunday  school  there  at  the  close 
of  that  service,  and  the  superintendent  writes  me 
that  this  man  is  teaching  the  adult  class,  and  is  an 
excellent  Bible  student."  He  is  a  leader  in 
the  neighborhood ;  and  since  he  has  shown  an  active 
interest  in  the  Sunday  school  the  morals  of  the 
whole  region  have  shown  a  decided  change  for  the 
better.  The  by-product  of  redeemed  neighborhoods 
is  one  that  is  of  incalculable  worth. 

A  Sunday-school  missionary  in  the  Middle  West, 
in  canvassing  a  portion  of  his  field,  discovered  sev- 
eral neighborhoods,  situated  in  a  rich  agricultural 
district  where  the  people  were  prosperous  but  god- 
less. Anti-religious  societies  flourished  among  them, 
and  they  boasted  that  no  minister  could  do  anything 
in  their  midst.  In  fact  they  had  driven  out  every 
minister  who  had  attempted  even  to  hold  services. 
One  man  said,  "We  have  about  as  much  use  for  a 
minister  as  we  have  for  smallpox."  The  Sunday- 
school  missionary  was  not  easily  discouraged  and 
in  a  tactful  way  set  to  work  to  win  them  through 
the  children.  After  visiting  among  them  for  two 
or  three  weeks  and  succeeding  in  winning  some  to 


Communities  Redeemed  51 

the  support  of  his  plans,  he  organized  a  Httle  Sun- 
day school.  It  grew  from  the  very  beginning,  and 
is  becoming  more  and  more  a  power  for  good  among 
them.  The  infidel  societies  are  weakened  and  al- 
most ready  to  disband.  The  sentiment  of  the  neigh- 
borhood has  completely  changed.  The  social  and 
moral  chaos  into  which  the  people  were  plunging 
themselves  and  their  children  has  given  place  to 
quiet,  well-ordered  homes  and  to  ideals  of  civic  bet- 
terment that  will  make  this  neighborhood  not  only 
a  safe  place  in  which  to  live,  but  a  blessing  to  hun- 
dreds of  lives. 

Probably  one  of  the  most  encouraging  illustra- 
tions of  the  social  transformations  that  have  been 
effected  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  rural 
Sunday  school  is  seen  in  work  among  the  southern 
negroes.  One  of  our  efficient  Sunday-school  mis- 
sionaries who  has  carefully  studied  the  problem  in 
a  southern  state  and  who  has  applied  himself  intel- 
ligently and  energetically  toward  its  solution  makes 
this  statement: 

"The  negro  Sunday-school  missionary  is  not  only 
confronted  with  problems  similar  to  those  of  other 
fields,  but  with  these  plus  others  that  are  character- 
istic of  the  negro  alone.  The  word  'destitute,'  as 
applied  to  the  regions  in  the  West,  means  a  com- 
munity without  Sunday  schools,  without  a  church, 
without  God.  But  among  the  negroes  it  often  means 
a  community  with  plenty  of  churches  of  different 
creeds,  but  without  Sunday  schools ;  church  mem- 
bers with  no  conception  of  the  real,  Christlike  reli- 


52      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

gion,  but  who  think  that  they  are  as  good  as  it  is 
necessary  for  them  to  be.  While  these  churches  in 
such  communities  are  numerous,  the  pastors,  as 
you  can  imagine,  are  inferior  men.  Anyone  who 
sees  that  he  can  have  it  comparatively  easy  by  being 
called  to  preach,  'hears  the  call,'  takes  charge  of  the 
church  and  becomes  the  leader  of  the  community, 
which  will  rise  no  higher  than  he.  Often  they  are 
bad  men  at  heart,  very  ungodly  in  conduct  and  to- 
tally ignorant.  These  are  the  fields  the  mission- 
aries find  the  most  fruitful,  but  certainly  the  hardest. 
They  have  the  largest  number  of  criminals,  the  larg- 
est number  of  lynchings,  the  largest  number  of  im- 
moral homes,  the  largest  number  of  premature 
deaths.  The  census  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  men  on  the  chain  gang  was  taken,  and  only  five 
had  ever  been  to  Sunday  school.  In  another  com- 
munity, out  of  ninety  such  men  only  three  could 
read  and  write.  In  that  same  community  a  Sunday 
school  was  organized  with  fifty-three  members,  but 
only  two  could  read  fairly  well.  In  this  community 
are  eight  churches.  The  missionary  was  not  cordi- 
ally received  in  one  of  these  communities,  but  with 
tact  and  prayer  he  gained  the  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple. They  will  read  his  literature,  if  they  can,  and 
listen  to  his  message."  Two  of  these  communities 
in  Georgia  have  been  completely  revolutionized  in 
the  last  three  years.  In  one,  the  missionary  had  to 
be  guarded ;  in  another  he  had  to  get  the  consent 
of  the  white  plantation  owner  before  he  could  go 
on  the  premises. 


Communities  Redeemed  53 

In  another  case  the  conversion  of  a  negrc  boy 
whom  the  Sunday-school  missionary  met  on  the 
road  to  the  schoolhouse,  was  the  means  of  beginning 
a  work  which  resulted  in  the  transformation  of  an 
entire  neighborhood.  He  in  turn  brought  his  com- 
panions to  the  Sunday  school.  Special  meetings 
were  held,  and  during  their  progress  this  young 
negro  boy  found  Christ.  Then  he  brought  friend 
after  friend  to  Jesus.  His  zeal  for  righteousness 
and  his  childlike  faith  have  been  the  means  of  work- 
ing a  complete  transformation  in  that  village.  The 
missionary  reports  that  upon  his  last  visit  he  found 
to  his  amazement  that  all  the  boys  and  girls  in  that 
locality  had  become  members  of  the  little  Sunday 
school  and  were  faithful  in  attendance.  The  father 
of  this  boy  was  converted,  family  prayers  are  now 
held  regularly ;  the  cabin  is  kept  clean  and  neat,  and 
others  have  been  stimulated  to  do  likewise. 

In  the  mountain  hamlets  of  the  southern  Appa- 
lachians we  may  find  many  instances  of  transformed 
homes  and  lives,  the  study  of  the  Bible  in  the  Sun- 
day school  resulting  in  an  elevating  of  the  entire 
social  organization.  One  superintendent  of  a  new 
school  came  for  five  or  six  weeks  in  his  shirt  sleeves, 
overalls,  and  with  bare  feet ;  the  secretary,  a  woman 
of  about  forty,  came  with  bare  feet.  But  soon  the 
superintendent  had  on  new  shirt,  new  trousers  and 
shoes,  and  the  secretary  had  a  new  hat  and  a  pair 
of  shoes.  The  Sunday  school  incites  to  better  things 
in  every  direction.    One  old  man  said,  "I'm  mighty 


54      By-Prodiicts  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

glad  you  come,  you  done  a  heap  for  my  old  woman 
(she  was  converted),  and  you've  raised  the  price  of 
land." 

One  of  the  most  encouraging  features  of  the  work 
of  the  little  Sunday  school,  especially  in  the  moun- 
tains of  the  South,  is  the  change  which  it  is  the 
means  of  producing  in  the  home  life  of  the  people. 
The  little  cabins  are  cleaned,  curtains  appear  at  the 
windows ;  the  children  dress  better  and  habits  of 
personal  cleanliness  are  developed, 

A  Sunday-school  missionary  in  the  Cumberland 
Mountains  of  Tennessee  recently  discovered  a  neigh- 
borhood where  there  were  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  people  living  in  a  very  destitute  condition. 
They  were  fifteen  miles  from  the  nearest  town. 
They  had  neither  church,  Sunday  school  nor  day 
school.  The  nearest  district  school  was  situated  on 
the  opposite  side  of  a  high  mountain  which  was 
four  miles  across.  Their  isolation  was  complete. 
No  one  had  ever  attempted  to  provide  for  their 
spiritual  or  educational  necessities,  and  the  entire 
neighborhood  had  fallen  into  careless  ways.  The 
missionary  canvassed  the  situation  thoroughly  and, 
although  no  one  seemed  to  be  very  enthusiastic  about 
having  a  Sunday  school,  he  felt  sure  that  the  need 
warranted  some  expenditure  of  time  and  effort  upon 
his  part.  Then  he  was  encouraged  by  the  village 
blacksmith  who  said,  "just  you  come  over  to 
Shackletown,  and  have  a  meeting  with  us.  We 
hain't  got  no  church  nor  nary  schoolhouse,  but  I'll 
clean   out  the  blacksmith   shop  and  we  can  meet 


Communities  Redeemed  55 

there."  The  missionary  accepted  the  offer  and  told 
the  blacksmith  to  advertise  the  meeting.  On  rue 
following  Sunday  the  missionary  found  that  the 
blacksmith  had  been  true  to  his  word,  and  the  house 
was  filled  with  men,  women  and  children.  The 
hastily  improvised  seats  were  not  sufficient  to  ac- 
commodate all  who  attended,  and  many  of  them 
stood  through  the  service.  Afterwards,  when  the 
missionary  asked  them  to  vote  on  the  question  of 
having  a  Sunday  school,  they  were  unanimous  in 
their  desire  for  it,  electing  the  blacksmith  as  their 
superintendent.  The  problem  of  a  building  was 
difficult,  but  under  the  missionary's  leadership  they 
secured  a  small  plot  of  ground,  hauled  the  lumber 
and  erected  a  plain  boxed  house  with  a  little  steeple 
over  the  doorway.  This  building  serves  their  needs 
for  church,  Sunday  school  and  day  school.  Preach- 
ing services  are  held  once  a  month  and  the  Sunday 
school  is  growing  steadily.  How  did  this  school 
show  its  effect  upon  the  neighborhood?  First  of 
all,  the  people  became  dissatisfied  with  the  name  of 
their  village.  They  had  changed,  the  reputation 
which  the  neighborhood  had  earned  in  former  days 
applied  to  them  no  longer,  so  they  came  together 
and  voted  to  change  its  name  to  Philadelphia.  This 
was  not  the  only  change.  The  missionary  tells  us 
that  since  the  Sunday  school  has  been  at  work  here, 
dilapidated  log  cabins  have  been  repaired  and  made 
more  attractive  inside  and  out.  Fences  have  been 
rebuilt  and  the  entire  locality  has  assumed  an  ap- 
pearance of  thrift  and  cleanliness  which  it  never 


56      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

before  possessed.  This  community  may  never  be 
any  larger  than  it  is  to-day ;  it  may  never  be  able  to 
support  a  church ;  but  the  influence  of  the  little  Sun- 
day school  planted  in  its  midst  has  changed  the  en- 
tire aspect  of  that  district. 

The  Sunday  school  in  its  study  of  the  Bible  brings 
to  these  people  the  supreme  incentive  which  they 
need,  an  ideal  of  life,  creating  within  their  hearts 
the  impulse  toward  it.  It  restores  the  sanctity  of 
the  Sabbath,  it  stimulates  the  private  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  they  strive  to  apply  the  truths  of  the 
Word  to  their  own  lives.  A  little  mountain  town  in 
eastern  Kentucky  which  was  notorious  for  its  illicit 
distilleries,  its  feuds  and  frequent  shooting  affrays, 
was  visited  by  a  Sunday-school  missionary.  He  found 
it  without  any  religious  influence,  but,  realizing  the 
possibilities  of  establishing  a  Sunday  school  in  their 
midst,  he  and  his  devoted  wife  took  up  headquarters 
there  and  began  to  hold  Sunday  school  in  their  lit- 
tle home.  The  interest  grew,  and  it  soon  became 
necessary  to  hold  the  meetings  of  the  Bible  class  on 
week  nights.  Meetings  for  prayer  and  Bible  study 
were  held  as  frequently  as  practicable,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  a  number  of  the  young  people  came 
forward,  seeking  to  make  a  public  profession  of 
their  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  They  soon  had  a  nucleus 
for  the  organization  of  a  Presbyterian  church ; 
a  chapel  was  erected,  educational  facilities  im- 
proved, and  regular  church  services  held. 
The  Bible  class  by  this  time  had  grown  until  it 
had  an  average  attendance  of  forty-five,  and,  during 


Communities  Redeemed  57 

the  six  years  of  the  missionary's  residence  there,  it 
continued  its  enthusiastic  interest  in  the  study  of  the 
Word.  A  flourishing  young  people's  society  was 
maintained,  and  through  its  work  the  youth  of  the 
entire  community  were  reached  with  good  reading 
matter;  social  meetings  were  held  and,  before  long, 
the  life  of  the  entire  community  centered  about  the 
little  chapel  on  the  hillside.  Most  remarkable,  how- 
ever, was  the  fact  that  of  the  sixty  members  of  the 
little  church,  everyone  but  three  could  take  part  in 
the  meetings  by  leading  in  prayer.  The  family  altar 
was  kindled  in  nearly  every  home.  What  effect  did 
all  this  have  upon  the  community  life?  Feuds  of 
long  standing  were  healed  up,  and  whereas  the  town 
had  been  noted  for  its  lawlessness,  it  now  gained  a 
reputation  for  quietness  and  decency  in  public  and 
private  life.  At  a  public  meeting  held  in  this  church, 
a  county  judge  arose  to  testify  to  the  change  which 
had  been  wrought  through  the  introduction  of  Bible 
study  into  that  region.  He  said  that  before  the 
coming  of  the  Sunday  school,  his  court  had  been 
busy  with  trials  for  murder  and  nearly  every  other 
crime  on  the  calendar,  most  of  the  culprits  coming 
from  that  very  neighborhood,  but  since  the  Sunday 
school  had  been  doing  its  work  among  them,  he  had 
rlmost  nothing  to  do  in  the  way  of  meting  out  pun- 
ishment. He  characterized  the  change  as  miracu- 
lous and  gave  the  credit  to  the  interest  in  religious 
things  which  had  been  developed  among  that  people. 
This  is  not  by  any  means  an  isolated  case.  Scores 
of  mountain  communities  have  undergone  a  similar 


58      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

change  through  the  work  of  the  little  Sunday  school. 
In  a  mountain  hamlet  in  West  Virginia  where  there 
is  a  flourishing  church  with  an  average  attendance 
of  more  than  one  hundred,  and  a  still  larger  Sunday 
school,  of  which  the  church  is  the  outgrowth,  a  re- 
markable work  of  grace  has  been  accomplished. 
When  Christian  work  was  begun  here,  every  reli- 
gious service  would  be  broken  up  by  a  neighborhood 
fight.  For  generations  a  family  feud  had  been  in 
progress  and  had  terrorized  the  whole  region.  The 
missionaries  even  carried  bandages  with  them  to 
every  meeting,  because  they  were  sure  to  need  them 
in  caring  for  the  wounded.  To-day  it  would  be  dif- 
ficult to  find  a  more  orderly  neighborhood.  It  was 
a  long  time  before  the  feudists  would  give  in,  but 
gradually  their  enmity  toward  one  another  cooled, 
and  the  leader  of  one  of  the  fighting  families  became 
an  elder  in  the  church.  During  some  revival  meet- 
ings, the  leader  of  the  opposing  family,  his  wife 
and  several  of  their  children,  professed  conversion. 
The  communion  Sabbath  came  and  this  family  ex- 
pressed the  desire  to  be  received  as  members  of  the 
church.  It  was  a  day  of  rejoicing  and  blessing  to 
the  whole  neighborhood.  When  this  big  moun- 
taineer stepped  forward  and  accepted  the  right  hand 
of  his  former  enemy,  in  Christian  fellowship,  the 
congregation  was  moved  to  tears.  In  the  presence 
of  God  and  his  people,  a  covenant  of  peace  was 
sealed  between  the  contending  families  as  they  gath- 
ered about  the  Lord's  table.  All  the  trials  of  the 
former  days  in  endeavoring  to  keep  the   Sunday 


Communities  Redeemed  59 

school  alive  in  that  neighborhood,  against  fearful 
odds,  faded  into  insignificance  in  the  joy  that  they 
experienced  in  witnessing  the  transformation  that 
had  taken  place. 

Numerous  illustrations  could  be  given  to  show 
the  effect  of  the  little  Sunday  school  upon  godless 
neighborhoods,  wherever  our  Sunday-school  mis- 
sionaries have  been  at  work.  But,  after  all,  the 
Sunday  school  is  merely  the  human  agency  through 
which  the  work  has  been  done.  It  is  the  power  of 
the  Word,  the  transforming  grace  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  work  of  his  Spirit,  that  has  brought  about 
the  redemption  of  these  distorted  souls  and  recon- 
structed these  sin-cursed  neighborhoods.  The  gos- 
pel is  tested  by  its  influence  upon  the  lives  of  the 
people  to  whom  it  is  proclaimed,  by  the  changed 
social  conditions  which  result  from  faithfully  teach- 
ing it.  If  our  faith  in  the  regenerating  power  of 
the  Word  has  been  weakened  by  the  multitude  of 
new  ideas  and  theories  that  have  been  advanced  dur- 
ing these  latter  days  for  the  betterment  of  social 
conditions  by  scientific  or  psychological  methods 
alone,  we  may  find  refreshment  in  studying  the  ef- 
fect of  the  gospel,  taught  in  all  its  simplicity,  in  the 
mission  Sunday  schools  where  thousands  are  being 
directed  Christward,  and  neighborhoods  remade. 

Nowhere  may  we  witness  more  encouraging  evi- 
dences of  the  social  effects  of  the  teaching  of  the 
Word  than  m  Sunday-school  missions.  There  are 
hundreds  of  places  where  similar  work  could  be 
done  if  the  men  and  means  were  available.     It  is 


60      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

the  Sunday  school  that  has  been  the  entering  wedge 
for  the  gospel  in  places  where  the  church  would 
have  been  excluded.  Shall  we  not  put  forth  re- 
doubled efforts  to  give  to  every  unreached  com- 
munity the  opportunity  of  Bible  study  by  sending 
Sunday-school  missionaries  to  establish  Sunday 
schools  in  their  midst  ? 


HOW  CHURCHES  ARE  DEVELOPED 


1 .  The  home  of  a  rancher  who  gave  $2500  toward  the  building  of  a  church. 

2.  The  outgrowth  of  a  Sunday  school  in  a  frontier  neighborhood. 
.3.     A  Sunday  school  that  changed  the  life  of  a  negro  community. 

4.     A    Presbyterian    church    which    grew    from  a  frontierSunday  school    in  a 
ranch  settlement. 


CHAPTER  IV 

HOW   CHURCHES   ARE  DEVELOPED 

Twenty-three  hundred  churches  in  twenty-six 
years !  This  is  one  remarkable  by-product  of  the 
work  of  Presbyterian  Sunday-school  missionaries. 
Sixteen  hundred  and  fifty  of  these  churches  are  af- 
filiated with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  U.  S.  A. 
Since  the  beginning  of  this  work,  each  year  has 
shown  an  average  of  eighty-five  churches  estab- 
lished as  a  development  of  rural  Sunday  schools. 
The  outposts  planted  by  the  Sunday-school  mission- 
aries at  strategic  points  are  thus  becoming  perma- 
nent centers  of  Qiristian  influence.  Localities  which 
in  many  cases  had  been  neglected  for  years  by  the 
missionary  pastor  as  being  hopeless  from  a  spiritual 
standpoint,  are  now  being  blessed,  and  are  blessing 
others,  through  the  pioneer  work  of  the  mission 
Sunday  school.  The  minister  of  a  leading 
Presbyterian  church  on  the  Pacific  Coast  recently 
stated  that  nearly  ninety-five  per  cent  of  the  new 
work  opened  in  his  synod  during  the  past 
decade  is  due  to  the  energy  and  labor  of  the 
Presbyterian  Sunday-school  missionaries.  There 
are  only  three  or  four  of  the  Presbyterian  churches 
which  have  been  organized  in  that  district  during 
the  past  ten  years,  which  have  not  grown  directly 
or  indirectly  from  this  work, 

03 


64      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

It  has  been  conservatively  estimated  that  at  least 
eighty  per  cent  of  the  new  Presbyterian  churches 
organized  in  missionary  districts  in  the  United 
States  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  have 
been  the  direct  outgrowth  of  the  rural  Sunday 
school.  Attention  has  been  called  to  the  large  re- 
turn that  has  accrued  to  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  property  acquired  through  the  organization  of 
these  churches.  An  approximate  calculation  shows 
that  the  value  of  church  buildings  erected  by  these 
congregations  exceeds  one  and  a  half  millions  of 
dollars.  This  represents  about  seventy-five  per  cent, 
of  the  total  cost  of  Sunday-school  missionary  work 
during  the  years  it  has  been  in  operation. 

It  should  be  clearly  understood,  however,  that 
tlie  aim  and  purpose  of  the  Sunday-school  mission- 
ary is  not  to  organize  churches.  Although  he  and 
the  Board  which  sends  him  forth,  rejoice  in  the  fact 
that  the  seed  they  have  sown  in  the  organization  of 
rural  Sunday  schools  comes  to  such  an  abundant 
fruitage,  it  must  be  considered  a  by-product.  The 
Sunday-school  missionary  enters  a  neighborhood 
for  the  purpose  of  gathering  the  children  and  young 
people  together  for  Christian  instruction,  with  much 
the  same  motive  as  that  which  impelled  Robert 
Raikes,  more  than  a  century  ago,  to  establish  his 
'"ragged  schools."  In  many  neighborhoods  he  finds 
the  children  in  a  condition  of  spiritual  desti- 
tution similar  to  that  of  the  children  of  old  Glou- 
cester in  those  early  days.  He  has  in  view  the 
formation  of  Christian  citizenship,  the  building  of 


How  Churches  are  Developed  65 

character  in  the  Hves  of  those  whom  sin  has  not 
yet  claimed. 

The  whole  story  of  Sunday-school  missions  is  a 
splendid  illustration  of  the  leading  of  a  little  child. 
Beginning  with  the  repeating  of  the  little  prayer 
that  has  been  taught  in  the  Sunday-school,  the  child 
of  the  godless  home  is  taking  the  first  step  toward 
leading  its  parents  to  God.  The  Christian  literature 
which  the  child  brings  from  the  Sunday  school  and 
in  which  he  finds  so  much  that  interests  him,  at- 
tracts the  father  and  mother;  frequently  they  are 
importuned  as  only  a  child  can  importune  them,  to 
read  the  stories  aloud.  In  this  way  hundreds  of 
hearts  have  been  touched.  As  the  parents  become 
interested  they  demand  preaching  services.  The 
Sunday-school  missionary  cannot  localize  himself 
by  agreeing  to  conduct  church  services  regularly ; 
he  therefore  reports  the  circumstances  to  the  proper 
committee  of  the  presbytery,  whose  business  it  is 
to  provide  pastors  for  rural  congregations,  to  advise 
with  reference  to  plans  of  church  organization  and 
the  building  of  a  house  of  worship. 

In  tracing  the  development  of  churches  and  the 
erection  of  houses  of  worship  as  the  outgrowth  of 
rural  Sunday  schools,  we  may  find  some  very  in- 
teresting and  inspiring  illustrations  of  consecration 
and  service.  In  a  little  Colorado  settlement  situ- 
ated out  on  the  plains  in  the  eastern  section  of  the 
state,  the  Sanday-school  missionary  planted  a  Sun- 
day school.  The  neighborhood  was  without  any  re- 
ligious   Opportunities    when    the    missionary    dis- 


66      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

covered  it,  but  new  people  were  moving  in  and 
with  their  coming  new  agencies  for  evil  were  find- 
ing a  foothold.  It  was  with  some  misgiving  that 
the  missionary  left  the  neighborhood  after  opening 
this  school,  fearing  that  the  little  light  which  had 
been  kindled  might  not  survive  even  a  brief  absence 
upon  his  part.  He  succeeded,  however,  in  interest- 
ing a  young  ranch-owner  and  his  wife  and  they 
promised  to  do  their  utmost  to  keep  the  school  alive. 
Assisted  by  occasional  visits  from  the  missionary, 
they  succeeded,  and  the  light  began  to  burn  brighter, 
sending  its  purifying  rays  into  the  homes  of  many 
who  had  wandered  far  from  God,  The  missionary 
was  not  slow  to  seize  the  opportunity  for  developing 
a  permanent  preaching  point  here,  and  he  made 
arrangements  for  periodical  services.  From  that 
time  the  work  continued  to  grow  until  a  Pres- 
byterian church  was  organized  and  a  church 
building  erected.  The  young  ranchman  whose 
example  had  done  so  much  for  the  neighbor- 
hood was  the  first  elder  of  the  little  church.  Al- 
though he  lives  in  a  little  house  worth  not  more 
than  five  hundred  dollars,  he  contributed  twenty-five 
hundred  dollars  toward  the  erection  of  this  church 
building.  This  organization  ministers  to  a  large 
section  of  country,  being  the  only  church  of  any 
denomination  for  a  distance  of  many  miles,  and  it 
has  become  the  center  of  the  life  and  interest  of 
scores  of  families. 

During    the    past    fifteen    years    this    Colorado 
Sunday-school     missionary     has     established     one 


Hozv  Churches  are  Developed  67 

hundred  and  sixty-one  new  Sunday  schools  among 
the  homesteaders  of  the  plains,  and  in  the  mining 
camps  of  the  Rockies.  In  the  majority  of  cases  he 
was  the  first  representative  of  any  evangelical  de- 
nomination to  visit  these  neighborhoods.  Twenty- 
eight  Presbyterian  churches,  with  their  own  chapel 
buildings,  erected  at  a  cost  of  sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars, bear  effective  witness  to  the  wise  planting  and 
nurturing  care  of  this  faithful  missionary.  But 
with  all  this  he  has  not  yet  covered  his  entire  field. 
He  writes  of  districts  in  which  no  work  has  yet 
been  attempted  by  the  representatives  of  any  de- 
nomination.   The  development  of  the  work  at  N 

is  typical  of  the  manner  in  which  many  of  our 
frontier  Sunday  schools  have  prepared  the  way  for 
permanent  churches.  This  town  is  located  thirty 
miles  north  of  Greeley,  Colorado,  on  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad.  When  the  missionary  first  vis- 
ited this  locality  he  could  find  no  public  building  in 
which  to  hold  a  service.  Permission  was  obtained, 
however,  to  hold  a  meeting  in  a  new  livery  stable, 
and  here  a  Sunday  school  was  organized.  Later  the 
Sunday  school  moved  into  a  tent  which  had  been 
provided  by  the  Sunday-school  missionary  and 
within  a  short  time  the  people  petitioned  the  pres- 
bytery to  organize  a  church.  Twenty-five  persons 
were  received  as  charter  members.  In  about  a  year 
after  the  Sunday  school  began  its  work  a  building 
was  completed  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
This  church  is  doing  an  excellent  work  in  the  com- 
munity. 


68      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

It  would  take  volumes  to  tell  the  story  of  all  the 
churches  that  have  developed  from  rural  Sunday 
schools.  Some  have  come  into  existence  through 
trying  experiences,  frequently  discouraged  and 
ready  to  die,  but  the  Sunday-school  missionary  came 
to  their  rescue  and  succeeded  in  reviving  them.  One 
of  these  missionaries  who  is  now  doing  faithful 
work  in  a  needy  field  in  one  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
states  was  surprised  recently  to  receive  a  newspaper 
clipping  from  a  neighborhood  in  Montana  in  which 
he  formerly  had  labored,  containing  the  notice  of  a 
public  election  to  decide  upon  the  organization  of  a 
Presbyterian  or  Congregational  church.  This  Sun- 
day-school missionary  had  been  the  only  minister 
these  people  had  known  during  the  years  he  labored 
in  that  region.  He  looked  upon  the  community  as 
one  that  probably  would  never  be  able  to  support  a 
church ;  indeed  it  was  difficult  even  to  maintain  a 
Sunday  school.  The  influence  of  his  work  not  only 
remained  with  them  after  he  had  left  that  field,  but 
it  grew  among  them,  and  the  little  Sunday  school 
flourished.  A  town  meeting  was  called  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  conduct  an  election,  all 
agreeing  to  be  governed  by  the  will  of  the  majority. 
When  the  vote  was  counted,  it  was  found  that  the 
greater  number  desired  a  Presbyterian  church.  It 
is  encouraging  to  the  Sunday-school  missionary  to 
know  that  his  work  among  them  in  former  years 
has  borne  fruit  in  this  way,  and  that  the  influence  of 
his  labors  was  the  chief  factor  in  causing  them  to 
affiliate  with  the  Presbyterian  denomination. 


Hozv  Churches  are  Developed  69 


Report   of  Committee  on 
Church  Election 


The  church  election  held  at  the 
Earllngburt  Hall,  Jan.  7th,  result- 
ed as  follows : 

Total  votes  cast,  115. 
In  favor  of   Presbyterian   church, 

69. 
In  favor  of  Congregational  church, 

46. 
Majority  in  favor  of  Presbyterian 

church,  23. 
C.  C.  AYERS,  M.  H.  HELDMAN, 
MARTIN  E.  ROCKWELL,  Com. 


70      By-Prodncts  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

We  may  go  a  step  farther  and  see  an  entire 
presbytery  erected  as  the  outgrowth  of  rural  Sun- 
day schools.  In  1902,  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Miles  City  was  the  only  church  of  that  denomination 
between  Bozeman  and  Dakota,  in  the  Helena  Pres- 
bytery, a  distance  of  four  hundred  and  three  miles 
by  rail.  For  several  years  there  has  been  a  rapid 
increase  in  population,  owing  to  new  railroad  build- 
ing. Many  new  towns  have  sprung  up ;  Sunday 
schools  have  been  organized  in  many  of  them,  some 
of  which  have  grown  into  Presbyterian  churches 
under  the  nurturing  care  of  the  Sunday-school  mis- 
sionaries. This  development  of  the  pioneer  work, 
together  with  the  enormous  expense  of  travel  due 
to  long  distances  and  the  imperative  need  for  more 
local  activities  to  foster  future  growth,  made  it 
necessary  to  divide  the  Helena  Presbytery  by  form- 
ing another  called  Yellowstone  Presbytery,  with  six 
ministers  and  nine  churches. 

It  has  been  said  that  it  is  impossible  to  determine 
the  far-reaching  extent  of  a  religious  influence  in- 
troduced into  a  community  with  the  coming  of  the 
mission  Sunday  school.  The  organization  of  a 
church  is  only  the  beginning  of  still  greater  by-prod- 
ucts which  continue  to  appear  as  the  years  come 
and  go.    An  illustration  of  this  is  seen  in  the  case 

of  a  Sunday  school  organized  in  the  C G 

district.  A  few  months  afterwards,  when  meetings 
were  held  in  the  missionary  tent,  there  was  a  gen- 
uine revival  and  a  unanimous  desire  for  the  organ- 
ization of  a  Presbyterian  church,  which  soon  fol- 


How  Churches  are  Developed  71 

lowed.  A  commodious  house  of  worship  was 
erected,  the  people  of  the  community  paying  the 
entire  expense.    Among  those  who  united  with  the 

church  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B .    The  former  was 

elected  a  trustee.  Soon  after  his  election  to  that 
office  he  went  to  a  meeting  of  the  presbytery ;  and 
not  being  aware  that  only  elders  or  ministers  were 
allowed  to  become  members  of  that  body,  he  took 
part  in  all  the  proceedings,  a  right  he  thought  he 
possessed  because  he  was  a  trustee.  His  wife  at 
the  same  time  was  enjoying  the  women's  missionary 
meeting.  In  the  morning  a  pastor  saw  him  at  the 
hotel  and  was  surprised  to  hear  him  say  that  it  was 
his  purpose  to  spend  the  night  there.  He  was  con- 
strained to  return  to  the  home  to  which  he  and  his 
wife  had  been  assigned  while  presbytery  was  in 
session.  After  the  meeting  of  presbytery  had  ad- 
journed   Mrs.   B told    the    minister   why    her 

husband  wanted  to  stay  at  the  hotel.  He  was  afraid 
that  his  host  would  ask  him  to  say  grace  at  the 
breakfast  table.  His  fears  were  not  without  foun- 
dation ;  for  as  they  sat  at  the  table  the  next  morning, 

his  host  turned  to  him  and  said,  "Mr.  B ,  please 

express  our  thanks."  Speaking  about  this  after- 
wards to  a  friend  he  said,  "I  thought  of  my  Httle 
church  and  did  not  want  to  disgrace  it,  so  I  asked 
the  blessing."  And  he  added,  "When  I  went  home 
I  did  the  same  thing  and  also  established  the  family 
altar." 

Not  long  after  this  a  movement  was  inaugurated 
to  raise  funds  to  endow  tlie  chair  for  Bible  study  in 


72      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

a  western  college.  This  good  man  was  asked  to 
make  a  contribution  and  some  ten  days  later  he 
went  to  the  office  of  the  president  and  gave  his 
check  for  one  thousand  dollars.  At  one  time  there 
were  seven  young  people  from  this  church  and 
Sunday  school  attending  Presbyterian  colleges. 

A  Sunday-school  missionary  in  Colorado  was  in- 
vited to  preach  the  anniversary  sermon  in  a  church 
that  had  grown  from  one  of  his  little  Sunday 
schools,  and  to  break  ground  for  the  building  of  a 
manse.  The  event  was  one  of  unusual  interest,  be- 
cause it  demonstrated  in  an  impressive  manner  one 
of  the  by-products  which  a  little  Sunday  school  is 
capable  of  developing. 

When  he  firsfvisited  this  field  it  was  a  churchless 
and  godless  community  and  when  the  Sunday  school 
was  first  organized,  both  workers  and  attendants 
were  few.  Among  the  few  attending  was  a  boy 
from  an  irreligious  home.  The  father  professed  to 
be  an  infidel,  and  the  mother,  though  reared  under 
Roman  Catholic  influences,  had  begun  to  share  the 
spirit  of  her  husband  and  had  become  indifferent 
to  religious  things.  About  three  months  after  the 
Sunday  school  had  been  organized,  the  lad,  who  had 
been  a  regular  attendant,  was  taken  ill.  His  illness 
soon  became  serious,  and  the  parents,  in  alarm,  sum- 
moned the  nearest  physician,  who  lived  ten  miles 
away.  After  diagnosing  the  case,  the  physician 
gave  the  parents  no  encouragement  to  hope  for  the 
patient's  recovery.  Without  being  so  informed  by 
the  doctor,  the  boy  himself  came  to  realize  the  hope- 


How  Churches  are  Developed  73 

lessness  of  his  condition.  Calling  his  mother  close 
to  him  he  said,  "Mother,  I  will  not  be  with  you 
long;  I  know  I  will  die  soon.  I  am  glad  the  Sun- 
day school  was  started  before  I  got  sick,  and  that 
I  had  the  chance  to  attend  it.  Down  there  they  told 
me  of  Jesus,  and  that  he  died  on  the  cross  to  save 
people  from  their  sins.  They  say  he  loves  every- 
body— even  boys — and  that  for  those  he  loves  and 
who  love  him,  he  is  preparing  mansions  in  the  sky. 
I  believe  it,  mother,  and  when  I  die  I  believe  I  will 
see  Jesus,  and  believe  that  he  will  take  me  to  his 
home  in  heaven.  But  before  I  die  there  is  one  thing 
1  want  to  ask  you  to  do.    Will  you  do  it?" 

Through  her  tears  the  mother  replied,  "Yes,  son, 
whatever  you  ask  of  me  I  will  do  if  I  can." 

"Promise  me  that,  after  I  am  gone,  you  will  at- 
tend the  Sunday  school,"  he  pleaded. 

The  mother  gave  her  promise. 

To  the  father,  a  little  later,  the  boy  practically  re- 
peated what  he  had  said  to  his  mother,  and  exacted 
from  him  also  a  promise  to  attend  the  Sunday 
school. 

After  the  body  of  the  boy  had  been  laid  away, 
the  parents,  not  yet  because  of  any  interest  on  their 
part  in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  but  remembering  the 
promise  to  their  boy,  began  to  attend  the  Sunday 
school.    It  was  not  long  before  both  were  converted. 

When  this  incident  became  known  throughout  the 
community  ethers  began  to  repent  of  their  indiffer- 
ence toward  God  and  the  Sunday  school.  Hearts 
were  softened  and  opened  to  the  reception  of  the 


74      By-Prodncts  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

gospel.  Revival  meetings  were  held  and  several 
people  were  converted.  The  organization  of  the 
church  followed,  and  about  the  same  time  a  building 
was  erected.  Since  that  time  steady  progress  has 
marked  the  work.  The  minister  of  this  church  is 
himself  a  trophy  of  the  work  on  this  field.  This  was 
the  first  Sunday  school  he  ever  attended.  It  was 
here  he  came  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  his  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  and  here  he  heard  the 
call  to  devote  his  life  to  the  gospel  ministry.  His 
wife  also  is  a  token  of  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  upon 
the  work  of  the  rural  Sunday  school.  The  first  re- 
ligious influence  that  came  into  her  life  was  through 
the  Sunday  school  and  there,  she  too,  found  her 
Saviour. 

Not  all  the  churches  developing  from  our  rural 
Sunday-school  work  are  Presbyterian.  When  a  mis- 
sion Sunday  school  is  planted,  the  Sunday-school 
missionary  does  not  demand  that  it  be  designated 
a  Presbyterian  school.  He  is  interested  primarily 
in  having  the  people  study  the  Bible  and  teach  its 
truths  to  their  children ;  so  many  of  our  new  rural 
schools  are  called  "Bible"  schools.  By  this  method 
all  can  unite  in  helping  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the 
school,  regardless  of  their  denominational  prefer- 
ences. If  the  work  developes  into  a  permanent 
church  organization,  even  though  it  bear  the  name 
of  another  denomination,  we  may  rejoice  in  the  fact 
that  the  Sunday  school  has  so  influenced  the  neigh- 
borhood that  such  a  result  has  been  possible. 


Hozv  Churches  are  Developed  75 

It  is  usually  found  that  the  school  that  is  the 
most  difficult  to  maintain  is  that  which  is  located  in 
the  most  needy  place.  The  lack  of  leaders,  the  in- 
difference of  the  people  and  the  discouragement  of 
the  surroundings  make  it  all  the  more  important 
that  the  children,  at  least,  should  be  brought  into 
touch  with  something  better  than  their  environment 
affords,  so  the  Sunday-school  missionary  gives  such 
localities  a  liberal  share  of  his  attention.  People 
are  always  attracted  to  the  man  who  refuses  to  rec- 
ognize defeat,  and  eventually  his  enthusiasm  and 
persistence  not  only  win  friends  to  himself,  but 
helpers  to  the  cause  he  represents.  This  is  why  the 
Sunday-school  missionary  wins  where  others  have 
failed.  Some  of  the  most  inspiring  victories  have 
been  achieved  in  the  face  of  conditions  that  would 
have  quenched  the  enthusiasm  of  one  who  was  not 
controlled  by  the  spirit  of  unselfishness  and  faithful 
perseverance.  They  tell  a  story  in  a  little  town  in 
southwestern  Kansas  about  the  way  in  which  the 
Sunday-school  missionary,  who  knew  their  need 
better  than  they,  literally  compelled  them  to  have 
the  Sunday  school.  He  has  gone  from  that  field, 
but  his  name  is  honored  throughout  that  whole  re- 
gion because  it  was  through  his  determination  to 
save  them  from  the  consequences  of  their  own  in- 
difference that  the  marvelous  things  which  they 
have  done  were  made  possible.  This  is  what  they 
said  about  it : 

"Wood  came  down  here  to  Mulberry  and  organ- 
ized a  little  Sunday  school,  but  it  didn't  last  long. 


76      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

We  couldn't  keep  up  a  Sunday  school  here  at  Mul- 
berry. But  Wood  came  again,  pulled  us  together 
and  reorganized  the  Sunday  school.  The  second 
Sunday  school  died  as  had  the  first,  and  then  we 
were  sure  we  couldn't  have  a  Sunday  school  at  Mul- 
berry. But  Wood  kept  coming.  We  don't  know 
how  many  times  he  organized  that  little  Sunday 
school  during  the  years  he  stuck  by  us.  Finally  we 
did  come  to  have  a  regular  Sunday  school  in  the 
little  schoolhouse." 

Soon  afterwards  Mr.  Wood  succeeded  in  having 
the  nearest  Presbyterian  minister  go  to  Mulberry, 
a  sixteen-mile  drive  each  way,  to  hold  occasional 
preaching  services.  This  opened  the  way  for  or- 
ganizing a  church,  and  they  voted  unanimously  to 
make  it  Presbyterian.  Later  this  young  minister, 
to  whom  they  had  become  greatly  attached,  was 
called  to  go  to  China  as  a  foreign  missionary.  Be- 
fore leaving  them  he  urged  them  to  build  a  house  of 
worship.  Under  his  leadership  this  was  done. 
Besides  raising  money  for  the  church,  they  united 
with  the  two  other  country  churches  that  were 
under  this  pastor's  care,  and  contributed  four  thou- 
sand dollars  to  build  a  hospital  in  the  locality  to 
which  he  was  going  in  China.  One  of  the  young 
women  of  Mulberry  went  to  China  with  him  as  his 
life  partner.  What  a  change  had  taken  place !  A 
neighborhood  that  could  not  support  even  a  Sunday 
school,  now  has  a  flourishing  Sunday  school  and  a 
working  church  with  a  missionary  representative  in 
a  foreign  land,  all  growing  out  of  the  perseverance 


How  CJiurches  are  Developed  77 

of  the  missionary  who  Icept  the  Sunday  school  going 
at  a  time  when  no  one  cared.  "If  it  hadn't  been  for 
the  way  Wood  stuck  by  us  during  the  trying  times 
of  those  early  years,  we  never  would  have  had  any- 
thing here  at  Mulberry."  It  will  be  seen  from  these 
illustrations  that  the  rural  Sunday  school  is  a  most 
effective  entering  wedge  for  the  church  in  places 
where  church  organization  is  a  possibility. 

The  Freedmen's  Board  renders  helpful  serv- 
ice in  its  special  field  by  following  the  work  of 
the  negro  Sunday-school  missionaries.  A  few 
years  ago  a  negro  Sunday-school  missionary  was 
working  in  Burke  County,  Georgia,  where  appall- 
ing destitution  prevailed.  After  traveling  for 
several  hours  afoot  through  a  district  untouched 
by  the  railroad,  he  stopped  at  a  large  planta- 
tion. He  visited  the  cabin  homes  by  the  way, 
talking  about  the  Sunday  school,  but  everywhere  he 
received  the  same  reply,  "We  don't  want  no  new 
religion  here."  At  the  plantation  the  response  was 
equally  discouraging.  At  length  he  was  directed  to 
call  upon  old  Aunt  Sylvia,  a  leader  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, who  informed  him  that  the  only  religious 
services  they  had  were  the  "big  meetings  held  out 
of  doors  in  summer."  The  missionary  found  Aunt 
Sylvia  interested  in  religious  things,  however,  and 
finally  proposed  that  a  Sunday  school  be  organized, 
to  meet  in  Aunt  Sylvia's  house.  This  she  at  once 
refused  to  do,  saying  that  she  was  the  "mother  of 
Noah's  Ark  Baptist  Church"  and  therefore  could 
not  consider  such  a  proposal.     The  missionary  then 


78      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

began  a  careful  canvass  of  the  entire  neighborhood 
in  search  of  some  one  to  take  the  lead  in  conducting 
the  Sunday  school.  Finally  he  was  directed  to  "a 
fine  Baptist  preacher"  as  being  the  man  most  likely 
to  assist  him.  The  missionary  found  him  plowing. 
and  after  stating  the  object  of  his  visit  was  informed 
that  his  new-found  friend  was  not  a  "book-leanu 
preacher"  but  a  "powerful  Baptist  gospel  preacher.'" 
The  plantation  overseer  interrupted  their  conversa- 
tion, attempting  to  drive  the  missionary  away,  bui 
he  was  not  to  be  diverted  so  easily.  He  requested 
that  he  be  permitted  to  help  the  preacher  in  his  plow- 
ing. When  the  day's  work  was  done  the  missionary 
accompanied  the  preacher  to  his  humble  home  and 
before  retiring  asked  him  to  read  a  portion 
of  Scripture.  So  illiterate  was  he  that  he  took 
up  an  old  hymn  book,  instead  of  a  Bible,  opened  it, 
and  holding  it  upside  down,  began  to  quote  a  pas- 
sage of  Scripture  as  though  he  were  reading  it. 
By  tactful  reasoning  the  missionary  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  his  cooperation,  and  he  prom- 
ised to  win  Aunt  Sylvia's  assistance.  The  Sunday 
school  was  organized  and  met  in  Aunt  Sylvia's  lit- 
tle house.  Boards  were  laid  across  chairs,  for  seats, 
and  at  every  meeting  the  room  was  overcrowded. 
Later  a  Presbyterian  negro  minister  was  assigned 
by  the  Freedmen's  Board  to  preach  for  these  people 
occasionally  and  the  response  was  far  beyond  their 
highest  hopes.  The  little  company  was  soon 
compelled  to  move  from  Aunt  Sylvia's  home, 
and  for  some  time  the  services  were  held  in  a  bush 


How  Churches  are  Developed  79 

arbor.  From  this  beginning  two  good  Presbyterian 
churches  have  grown,  besides  an  academy  where 
the  boys  and  girls  for  miles  around  are  being  edu- 
cated. The  work  developed  so  encouragingly  that 
the  Freedmen's  Board  bought  one  thousand  acres  of 
land,  divided  it  into  ten-acre  farms,  erected  small 
but  convenient  homes  and  sold  them  to  negroes  who 
were  ambitious  enough  to  want  homes  of  their  own, 
establishing  a  model  community.  To-day  it  is  a 
clean,  orderly,  well-regulated  Christian  neighbor- 
hood. The  Sunday  school,  the  church  and  the 
academy  are  the  centers  of  interest,  and  hundreds 
are  being  helped  toward  useful  careers. 

It  should  be  emphasized   at  this  point  that  the 
object  of  the   Sunday-school  missionary  is  not  to 
organize   Sunday   schools  only   where   he   believes 
they  will  grow  into  churches.     He  labors  from  an 
entirely  different  standpoint.     He  is  commissioned 
to  take  the  means  of  religious  teaching  and  training 
to  the  boys  and  girls  who  are  not  within  reach  of 
churches  already  organized.     He  gathers  groups  of 
twenty,  thirty,   forty  or  more  children  and  young 
people,  into  the  district  schoolhouse  or  some  other 
building,  organizes  them  into  Sunday  school,  places 
Christian  literature  in  their  hands,  introduces  the 
gospel  into  their  homes  and  thus  sets  up  a  standard 
higher  than  they  have  heretofore  known.    It  is  the 
need  of  the  children  who  are  without  Christian  in- 
fluences that  impels  the  Sunday-school  missionary 
to    press    forward.      He    must    organize    Sunday 
schools,    irrespective    of    the    possibility    of    their 


80      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

growth  into  churches.  True,  he  is  ever  on  the  alert 
to  note  and  to  encourage  any  movement  toward  de- 
velopment into  church  organization,  and  he  advises 
the  presbytery  with  reference  to  such  possibilities, 
but  the  Sunday-school  missionary  is  concerned 
chiefly  and  exclusively  with  the  establishment  of 
agencies  for  religious  instruction  (Sunday  schools) 
and  in  helping  them  to  adopt  such  plans  and  meth- 
ods of  work  as  will  enable  them  to  minister  most 
helpfully  to  the  spiritual  and  social  needs  of  their 
neighborhoods. 

The  organized  church,  therefore,  is  a  by-product 
of  the  rural  Sunday  school.  Probably  it  is  the  most 
valuable  by-product  so  far  as  such  values  may  be 
measured.  We  cannot  but  rejoice  in  the  wise  reli- 
gious strategy  which  has  been  exercised  by  our  pres- 
byteries in  following  the  labors  of  the  Sunday- 
school  missionaries  and  in  developing  Presbyterian 
churches  in  so  many  places.  It  will  be  seen  also, 
that  in  addition  to  the  growth  of  Presbyterianism 
which  inevitably  results  from  the  planting  of  rural 
Sunday  schools,  other  denominations  share  in  this 
by-product.  Thus  Sunday-school  missions  in  the 
name  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  are  making  a  great 
contribution  to  the  cause  of  Protestantism  in  general. 


TRAINING  WORKERS  FOR  THE 
KINGDOM 


A  Sunday  school  in  the  Tennessee  mountains  which  has  pro- 
duced   many  consecrated    Christian  workers. 

The  product  of  a  little  mountain  Sunday  school.  Now  a  school 
teacher  and  a  Sunday-school  superintendent. 

Xegro  girls  who  have  pledged  themselves  to  engage  in  Sunday- 
school  work  during  vacation,   in   their  home  neighborhoods. 


CHAPTER  V 

TRAINING    WORKERS    FOR    THE    KINGDOM 

One  of  the  chief  benefits  resulting  from  the  plant- 
ing of  a  Sunday  school  in  a  neighborhood  where 
no  religious  work  has  previously  been  attempted,  is 
seen  in  the  number  of  persons  who  for  the  first  time 
in  their  lives  are  enlisted  in  Christian  service  as 
Sunday-school  officers  and  teachers.  When  the 
Sunday-school  missionary  organizes  a  school,  he 
chooses  the  best  material  available  for  his  officers 
and  teachers,  but  he  cannot  always  take  the  high 
ground  that  is  held  by  the  church  Sunday  schools 
in  the  larger  towns  and  cities,  where  they  insist,  as 
they  should,  that  only  church  members  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  be  officers  and  teachers.  It  frequently 
happens  that  the  missionary  is  unable  to  find  one 
Christian  man  or  woman  in  the  neighborhood.  In 
one  case  a  missionary  was  obliged  to  place  a  four- 
teen-year-old girl  in  charge  of  a  little  Sunday 
school.  With  the  help  of  an  old  Scotch  woman  she 
kept  the  school  together,  and  the  work  prospered. 
Within  a  short  time  her  helper  died,  and  the  little 
girl  was  left  with  the  entire  responsibility  of  the 
school.  She  went  on  bravely,  and  her  little  school, 
which  had  grown  to  sixty  members,  began  to  make 
such  an  impression  upon  the  community  that  those 
who  had  been  indifferent  before,  now  ofTered  their 

83 


84      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

assistance.  Evangelistic  meetings  were  held  and 
twenty  persons  professed  conversion,  after  which  a 
church  was  organized. 

This  scarcity  of  workers  is  one  of  the  most  dis- 
couraging problems  of  the  Sunday-school  mission- 
ary. Sometimes  he  is  obliged  to  reorganize  a  school 
several  times  before  he  is  able  to  find  anyone  who 
will  be  faithful,  whose  sincerity  is  beyond  doubt, 
and  whose  life  in  the  neighborhood  is  sufficiently 
exemplary  to  command  the  respect  of  the  other 
families.  A  Sunday  school  in  a  rural  district  in 
Minnesota  had  for  its  first  superintendent,  a  prize 
fighter.  Under  his  leadership  the  school  lived  but 
a  few  weeks.  The  missionary  revived  it  with  a 
young  lady  school-teacher  for  superintendent.  She 
was  unwilling  to  give  up  her  Saturday  night  dances, 
and  soon  the  school  closed  again.  Once  more  the 
missionary  brought  them  together  and  they  chose 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  neighborhood  for  su- 
perintendent, but  the  missionary  was  not  very  hope- 
ful because  he  was  inclined  to  be  profane,  and  had 
never  shown  any  interest  in  religion.  He  possessed 
many  good  qualities,  however,  and  the  missionary 
realized  that  the  school  would  succeed  under  this 
man  if  he  would  become  a  Christian ;  so  he  laid  his 
plans  to  win  him  to  Christ.  With  the  help  of  the 
Spirit,  he  led  this  man  to  make  a  profession  of  his 
faith,  and  through  his  efforts  the  entire  community 
experienced  a  revival.  The  prize  fighter  and  his 
wife,  as  well  as  the  dancing  school-teacher,  were 
among  those  who  found  salvation.    Since  that  time 


Training  Workers  for  the  Kingdom  85 

the  Sunday  school  has  never  missed  a  session  and 
these  people  are  faithful  teachers  of  classes.  Thus 
the  mission  Sunday  school  develops  its  own  work- 
ers. One  cannot  serve  in  a  position  of  such  respon- 
sibility without  experiencing  a  personal  blessing. 
Every  Sunday-school  teacher  realizes  how,  in  the 
preparation  of  the  Sunday-school  lessons,  his  own 
spiritual  life  has  been  developed.  How  much  more 
must  this  be  true  with  reference  to  those  who  are 
enlisted  as  teachers  in  these  little  schools  in  destitute 
places,  and  who  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  are 
brought  to  study  the  Bible  and  the  lesson  helps  with 
which  they  are  provided,  finding  that  the  truths 
which  they  must  teach  to  others  are  equally  appli- 
cable to  their  own  lives. 

A  Sunday-school  missionary  in  the  southwest,  in 
organizing  a  Sunday  school,  could  find  but  one  wo- 
man in  the  neighborhood  who  would  consent  to  be  a 
teacher,  but  she  was  unwilling  even  after  the  mis- 
sionary had  appealed  to  her,  to  give  up  the  habit 
of  smoking  a  pipe,  which  she  had  practiced  for  many 
years.  The  missionary  was  obliged  to  accept  her 
services ;  but  later,  upon  visiting  the  school,  he 
learned  to  his  great  delight  that  in  preparing  the 
lessons  from  week  to  week  she  had  come  to  realize 
her  depraved  condition  and  her  injurious  example 
before  the  children  of  the  Sunday  school  and  had 
voluntarily  given  up  this  disgusting  habit.  Very 
often  public  school-teachers  who  never  before  have 
fehown  any  interest  in  Sunday-school  work  are 
pressed  into  service,     They  find  many  compensa- 


86      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

tions  in  this  work ;  and  in  some  cases  the  experience 
gained  in  the  rural  Sunday  school  has  been  a  prep- 
aration for  larger  service  elsewhere  in  later  years. 
Several  years  ago  a  missionary  organized  a  school 
in  a  destitute  West  Virginia  community.  The  only 
available  person  to  act  as  superintendent  and  teacher 
was  Qinton  G ,  a  young  fellow  who  was  teach- 
ing the  district  school.  It  was  his  first  experience 
in  Sunday-school  work,  but  soon  he  became  deeply 
interested.  Several  years  later  when  visiting  in 
one  of  the  largest  cities  of  the  state  the  missionary 

met  Mr.  G .    He  took  him  to  the  largest  church 

in  the  city  where  he  now  conducts  the  largest  organ- 
ized Bible  class  of  the  city.  Mr.  G 's  op- 
portunity of  to-day  had  its  beginning  in  the  little 
Sunday  school  back  in  the  hills. 

The  greatest  work  of  the  rural  Sunday  school, 
however,  is  the  training  of  boys  and  girls  who  be- 
come Christian  workers  in  churches  and  Sunday 
schools  in  other  localities.  Thousands  of  the  young 
people  from  the  homestead  farms  go  to  the  towns 
and  cities  to  enter  business  and  professional  careers. 
What  do  they  take  with  them  ?  What  shall  be  their 
influence  upon  those  with  whom  they  associate  in 
their  new  surroundings?  Will  they  ally  themselves 
with  the  church  or  will  they  avoid  it?  It  is  almost 
invariably  true  that  the  boys  and  girls  trained  in 
rural  Sunday  schools  seek  the  church  in  the  city 
which  represents  the  denomination  whose  mission- 
ary  organized   the   Sunday   school   for  them,   and 


Training  Workers  for  the  Kingdom  87 

eventually  they  become  its  most  faithful  workers, 
especially  in  the  Sunday  school. 

Not  long  ago  a  Sunday-school  missionary  was 
visiting  a  city  church,  and  at  the  close  of  the  service 
two  young  ladies  came  forward,  whom  the  pastor 
introduced  as  "two  of  my  best  workers."  They 
asked  the  missionary  if  he  remembered  them,  but 
he  was  unable  to  recall  any  previous  meeting.  Then 
they  told  him  that  they  had  been  pupils  in  a  little 
Sunday  school  which  he  had  organized  and  fre- 
quently visited,  back  in  the  pine  woods.  "It  was 
there  that  we  got  the  desire  for  something  better, 
and  we  have  been  in  Sunday-school  work  ever 
since,"  one  of  them  declared.  At  that  time  they 
were  attending  the  State  Normal  School,  preparing 
to  become  public  school-teachers. 

A  number  of  years  ago  a  Sunday  school  was 
organized  in  a  small  neighborhood  in  northern 
Iowa.  To  strengthen  the  work,  the  missionary  held 
evangelistic  meetings  during  the  following  winter, 
and  a  number  of  the  people  professed  conversion. 
Among  them  were  a  man,  his  wife  and  their  entire 
family,  including  three  sons.  Afterwards  they  sold 
their  farm  in  Iowa  and  moved  to  Ottertail  County, 
Minnesota.  Our  Sunday-school  missionary  in  that 
district  found  them  in  their  new  home  and  organ- 
ized a  Sunday  school  near  them,  enlisting  them  as 
leaders  in  the  work.  He  declares  that  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  have  had  a  Sunday  school  with- 
out their  help,  as  they  were  the  only  Christians 
tliere.    As  the  children  grew,  the  need  of  educating 


88      By-Prodncts  of  the  Rural  Siuiday  School 

them  became  more  and  more  apparent.  So  they 
sold  out  their  farm  and  home  and  moved  to  St. 
Paul,  where  the  young  people  could  have  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  college  training.  Here  again  they  be- 
came workers  in  one  of  the  leading  churches.  The 
last  report  that  comes  from  this  interesting  family 
is  that  three  of  the  sons  are  now  ministers. 

A  Wisconsin  Sunday-school  missionary  adds  to 
this  record  of  by-products  of  rural  Sunday-school 
work  the  story  of  a  young  man  who  was  brought 
into  a  Sunday  school  which  he  organized  in  a  rural 
settlement  where  the  greater  part  of  the  population 
consisted  of  Germans.  The  boys  of  the  neighbor- 
hood made  it  a  practice  to  play  ball  on  Sunday  after- 
noon on  the  school  grounds,  during  the  Sunday- 
school  hour,  thus  making  it  almost  impossible  to 
maintain  interest  and  attention  in  Sunday  school. 
The  superintendent  in  great  discouragement  wrote 
to  the  missionary  about  his  trouble,  so  he  arranged 
to  visit  them.  He  called  at  the  home  of  three  boys 
who  seemed  to  be  the  leaders.  The  mother  told  him 
that  he  need  not  trouble  himself  to  call  upon  them, 
as  they  were  Catholics,  and  politely  showed  him  the 
door.  He  went  out  to  the  barn,  however,  and  there 
he  met  Chris,  the  oldest  boy.  Engaging  him  in 
conversation  he  told  him  what  the  superintendent 
had  written,  and  asked  him  if  he  would  not  give  up 
the  ball-playing  and  attend  the  Sunday  school,  in- 
stead. As  he  was  the  leader,  of  course  it  would  de- 
pend upon  his  actions  whether  or  not  the  other  boys 
would  come.    At  first  he  hesitated,  but  at  last  he 


Training  Workers  for  the  Kingdom  89 

promised  that  he  would  make  the  effort.  He  kept 
his  promise  and  it  was  not  long  before  Chris  became 
a  Christian,  the  other  boys  soon  following-  his  ex- 
ample. For  over  a  year  he  was  a  teacher  of  the 
boys'  class  in  that  school.  Now  Chris  is  engaged  in 
business  in  the  city,  where  he  is  the  superintendent 
of  a  flourishing  Presbyterian  Sunday  school,  which 
has  an  enrollment  of  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pupils.  One  of  the  other  boys  is  studying  for 
the  ministry  and  three  other  boys  in  that  class  are 
attending  college,  fitting  themselves  for  their  life's 
work. 

In  such  experiences  as  these  the  Sunday-school 
missionary  finds  much  encouragement.  The  knowl- 
edge that  the  boys  and  girls  he  gathers  into  the 
Sunday  school  to-day  will  be  the  men  and  women 
who  will  help  to  sustain  churches  and  Sunday 
schools  in  other  places  in  future  years,  and  thus 
be  the  means  of  leading  others  into  the  ways  of 
righteousness,  is  a  constant  source  of  inspiration  to 
him.  The  story  is  told  by  a  Colorado  missionary 
of  a  chance  meeting  with  a  man  whom  he  had 
known  years  before  as  the  storekeeper  in  a  little  coal 
camp  where  a  Sunday  school  representing  the  only 
religious  influence  in  that  region,  had  been  main- 
tained. "I  have  been  away  from  Colorado  for  al- 
most seven  years,"  said  the  missionary  as  he  greeted 
him,  "and  have  not  kept  in  touch  with  things  here 
during  that  time.  You  had  two  boys  in  whom  I 
was  interested.  I  would  like  to  ask  you  about  them. 
When  I  organized  the  Tunday  school  there  they  at- 


90      By-Prodiicts  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

tended  it.  And  whenever  I  visited  the  place  they 
helped  me  by  ringing  the  bell,  filling  the  lamps  with 
the  oil  v>^hich  you  furnished,  and  having  the  school- 
house  swept  and  in  readiness  for  the  service.  What 
became  of  your  boys?  Did  they  stay  with  the 
teachings  of  the  Sunday  school  and  take  Christ  as 
their  Saviour  and  example,  or  did  they,  like  so  many 
of  the  coal-camp  boys,  form  habits  of  drunkenness, 
gambling  and  indulging  in  other  vices?" 

"They  stayed  with  the  Sunday  school,"  replied 
the  man.  "Neither  of  them  drink.^  or  uses  tobacco. 
I  am  proud  of  my  boys.  After  completing  the  com- 
mon school  course  they  went  to  high  school,  and 
then  through  college.  One  of  my  boys  is  here  visit- 
ing me  now." 

Hearing  the  conversation,  the  son,  who  was 
standing  near,  came  forward.  He  was  a  fine,  large 
fellow  with  a  frank,  open  countenance,  and  hand- 
some features.  Approaching,  he  took  the  mis- 
sionary's hand  and  said,  'Yes,  I  am  one  of  the  little 

boys  who  attended  your  Sunday  school  in  C . 

Come  and  see  me  when  you  are  in  my  town.  They 
call  me  'professor'  down  there.  I  am  principal  of 
the  schools  and  have  ten  teachers  under  me." 

"What  about  your  brother?"  the  missionary  in- 
quired. 

"He  is  a  chemist  for  the  U Company." 

"I  am  glad  to  learn  that  you  have  both  done  so 
well.  You  are  not  sorry  you  went  to  Sunday  school, 
are  you  ?" 


Training  Workers  for  the  Kingdom  91 

"No  indeed.  That  was  the  start  to  a  better  life. 
But  for  that  school  we  might  still  be  in  the  mining 
camp,  digging  coal,  drinking  whisky  and  wasting 
our  life  and  opportunities."  Both  boys  are  leading 
workers  in  church  and  Sunday  school,  one  of  them 
being  an  elder,  and  the  other  an  officer  in  the  Sun- 
day school. 

Among  the  negroes  of  the  South,  the  missionaries 
find  it  difficult  to  maintain  some  of  their  Sunday 
schools  because  so  many  of  the  boys  and  girls  go 
to  the  towns  and  cities  just  at  the  time  when  their 
presence  and  influence  could  be  helpfully  exerted  as 
Sunday-school  teachers  in  their  own  neighborhoods. 
It  is  encouraging  to  know,  however,  that,  wherever 
they  go,  the  spiritual  impressions  received  in  the 
little  Sunday  school  at  home  are  not  lost,  and  that 
their  early  training  leads  them  into  good  associ- 
ations in  their  new  environment.  One  negro  mis- 
sionary who  has  kept  in  touch  with  some  of  these 
young  people  testifies  that  in  nearly  every  case  they 
have  united  with  Presbyterian  churches,  and  be- 
come Sunday-school  teachers  and  leaders  of  Bible 
classes.  At  a  Sunday  school  convention  in  North 
Carolina  this  missionary  met  a  young  man  who  had 
been  a  pupil  in  a  little  negro  school  in  Virginia. 
He  learned  that  upon  going  to  his  new  home  he 
had  united  with  the  church,  and  was  an  active  Sun- 
day-school worker.  "Almost  every  Presbyterian 
church  in  the  Presbytery  of  Southern  Virginia  is 
constantly  receiving  persons  who  were  members  of 
our  mission  schools  in  the  rural  districts,"  said  the 


92      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

missionary.  "So  I  find  that  the  apparent  loss  to 
the  mission  schools  is  often  a  gain  to  the  churches 
in  the  towns  and  cities.  In  our  mission  schools  they 
acquire  the  habit  of  Bible  study,  and  ideals  of  Chris- 
tian living.  They  begin  to  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness.  I  find  that  the  missionary  work  in 
the  rural  districts  is  a  feeder  to  the  Presbyterian 
churches  in  the  towns  and  cities." 

A  negro  Sunday-school  missionary  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  "Negro  Section"  of  the  great  mis- 
sionary exhibit,  "The  World  in  Oiicago"  in  the 
spring  of  1913,  was  greeted  one  day  by  a  young 
negro  woman  who  reminded  him  that  she  had  been 
a  pupil  in  a  little  Sunday  school  which  he  organized 
in  a  destitute  neighborhood  in  Georgia,  several 
years  before.  She  told  him  that  this  Sunday  school 
had  given  her  the  ambition  to  do  something  useful 
and  that  she  had  been  educated  and  was  now  a 
teacher  in  a  negro  school  in  Chicago. 

Similar  testimony  is  furnished  by  missionaries 
who  labor  among  the  southern  mountaineers.  One 
of  these  workers,  who  has  been  the  means  of  gath- 
ering hundreds  of  boys  and  girls  from  lowly  moun- 
tain homes  into  mission  Sunday  schools,  makes  this 
statement:  "In  the  past  twelve  years  there  have 
gone  out  from  our  work  here  about  fifty  men  and 
women  who  are  now  holding  lucrative  positions  in 
seven  or  eight  different  states,  and  are  doing  ex- 
cellent Christian  work.  This  is  hard  on  the  work 
here,  for  just  as  soon  as  these  boys  and  girls  are 
educated  enough  to  do  Sunday-school  work,  and 


Training  Workers  for  the  Kingdom  93 

become  of  age,  they  leave  home  and  seek  associa- 
tions more  congenial  to  their  new  life.  Never  has 
one  whom  we  have  brought  up  in  the  Sunday  school 
brought  dishonor  upon  the  work ;  but  wherever  they 
have  gone  they  have  been  noted  for  their  strict  ad- 
herence to  the  teaching  of  God's  Word." 

During  the  few  months  of  Sunday  school  held 
under  a  tree  in  a  Kentucky  mountain  village,  two 
young  men  were  led  to  Christ.  They  went  to  Pike- 
ville  to  school,  and  to-day  one  is  county  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction  in  Pike  County,  Ken- 
tucky, and  the  other  is  a  successful  business  man  in 
Cincinnati.  Both  are  deeply  interested  and  active 
in  Christian  work. 

In  another  mountain  Sunday  school  a  young  man 
learned  to  read,  beginning  by  spelling  out  the  let- 
ters in  the  Bible,  the  only  book  he  possessed.  He 
has  since  become  a  local  preacher  and  everywhere 
he  goes,  he  testifies  to  the  fact  that  it  was  the  Sun- 
day school  which  started  him  upon  his  work  for 
Christ.  From  another  little  Sunday  school  in  Ten- 
nessee a  young  man  went  to  school.  After  he  grad- 
uated he  moved  to  a  community  in  which  there  was 
not  a  church  building,  although  it  was  the  county 
seat.  His  influence  there,  in  behalf  of  the  Sunday 
school,  was  the  means  of  beginning  a  work  which 
has  wrought  many  changes  among  that  people.  He 
is  now  a  teacher  in  a  government  school  in  a  west- 
ern state  and  there,  too,  he  is  witnessing  for  Christ 
and  active  in  Sunday-school  work.  "Everywhere  I 
go,"  said  a  mountaineer  missionary,  "I  meet  young 


94      By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

fellows  who  stop  and  tell  me  about  the  little  Sun- 
day school  back  in  the  country,  of  which  they  were 
members  and  which  I  organized.  In  every  case 
they  seem  to  be  doing  well,  and  I  am  always  glad 
to  find  that  they  are  still  interested  in  the  Sunday 
school." 

Correspondence  from  the  field  brings  hundreds 
of  illustrations  of  the  results  of  the  work  of  the  rural 
Sunday  school  appearing  in  distant  places.  One 
missionary  who  has  kept  in  touch  with  many  of  the 
children  who  have  been  gathered  into  Sunday 
schools  through  his  efforts,  takes  pride  in  pointing 
to  the  number  of  boys  and  girls  coming  from  un- 
promising localities,  who  have  become  faithful  serv- 
ants of  the  King  in  the  places  to  which  they  have 
gone  to  engage  in  business  and  professional  life. 
"About  seven  years  ago,"  he  writes,  "I  visited  a 
godless  neighborhood,  where  I  found  only  one 
mother  who  really  wanted  a  Sunday  school.  While 
visiting  from  house  to  house,  I  stopped  at  a  place 
where  the  family  were  all  away  from  home  except 
the  father  and  one  boy  about  twelve  years  of  age. 
The  little  fellow  was  too  bashful  to  come  near  mj 
buggy  until  I  called  him  and  told  him  that  I  was 
going  to  hold  a  gospel  service  at  the  schoolhouse 
and  organize  a  Sunday  school  the  next  Tuesday 
evening.  He  said,  'Will  there  be  anything  adoin' 
before  Tuesday?'  He  was  there  on  time  and  at- 
tended quite  regularly  for  three  years,  and  then  be- 
came a  teacher  of  a  class  of  boys.  Soon  afterwards 
he  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 


Training  Workers  for  the  Kingdom  95 

About  two  years  ago  he  went  to  Montana  to  visit 
a  brother  who  was  holding  down  a  claim  and  while 
there,  he  would  gather  a  small  company  around  him 
each  Sunday  and  talk  to  them  about  the  Sunday- 
school  lesson,  sometimes  having  as  many  as  forty 
people  present.  His  work  soon  developed  into  a 
Sunday  school  and  not  long  afterwards  a  minister 
came  to  preach  to  the  people.  The  young  man  did 
the  work  of  a  missionary  among  the  people,  and  is 
now  looking  forward  to  going  into  the  ministry, 
to  which  he  feels  that  the  Lord  has  called  him. 

"A  few  years  ago  two  girls  were  brought  into 
another  of  our  Sunday  schools,  out  on  the  prairie. 
They  lived  in  a  claim  shack  and  worked  hard  every 
day,  helping  their  father  to  carry  away  the  stones, 
to  break  up  the  new  land  and  to  put  in  the  crop. 
While  doing  all  this  they  learned  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism in  one  week,  and  recited  it,  for  which  they 
each  received  a  Bible  given  by  the  Board.  They 
became  very  active  in  the  Sunday  school  and  last 
summer  they  both  went  to  Montana,  where  each 
took  a  homestead.  They  are  now  teaching  school 
and  have  organized  Sunday  schools  in  the  districts 
in  which  they  are  teaching.  They  write  me  fre- 
quently, telling  me  how  well  the  Sunday  schools  are 
prospering." 

One  of  the  chief  elements  of  Sunday-school  ef- 
ficiency is  the  training  of  lives  for  Giristian  service. 
In  this  respect  the  rural  Sunday  school  meets  the 
efficiency  test.  The  rural  Sunday  school  cannot  be 
judged  by  its  attainments  with  reference  to  "front- 


96     By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

line  standards,"  nor  by  its  system  of  gradation  of 
pupils  and  departments,  but  what  it  lacks  from  a 
pedagogical  standpoint,  is  outweighed  by  the  splen- 
did contribution  which  it  makes  to  the  Church  and 
the  nation,  in  laying  foundations  of  Christian  char- 
acter. "By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  To 
such  a  test  the  rural  Sunday  school  can  bring  a  bril- 
liant array  of  Christian  men  and  women,  whose  in- 
fluence for  good  has  extended  beyond  the  ability  of 
man  to  measure. 


RECRUITS  FOR  THE  MINISTRY 
AND   MISSIONARY  SERVICE 


The  Sunday  school  in  a  Colorado  coal  camp-  The  superintendent  Ijeeame  a 
successful    Sunday-school    missionary. 

The  cowboy  who  became  superintendent  of  a  rural  Sunday  school,  took  a  train- 
ing course  and  is  now  an  efficient  Sunday-school  missionary. 

This  isolated  rural  Sunday  school  has  produced  two  ministers. 


CHAPTER  VI 

RECRUITS    FOR    THE    MINISTRY    AND    MISSIONARY 
SERVICE 

"As  the  result  of  our  little  Sunday  school,  there 
is  a  young  man  who  is  the  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  at  F ;  two  more  who  are  study- 
ing for  the  ministry  at  Maryville  College ;  another 
in  a  law  school,  and  still  another  taking  a  medical 
course.  A  young  lady  graduated  last  year  from 
Miami  University,  another  is  teaching  school  in  an 
eastern  state,  and  two  or  three  others  are  taking 
special  courses  in  well-known  colleges.  I  can  give 
you  the  names  of  these  young  people  if  you  want 
them." 

This  encouraging  statement  was  made  by  a  mis- 
sionary with  reference  to  a  little  Sunday  school 
which  he  had  established  and  nurtured  in  a  godless 
neighborhood  in  eastern  Kentucky.  If  a  careful 
investigation  were  made,  doubtless  similar  results 
would  appear  from  the  work  of  many  other  little 
Sunday  schools,  concerning  whose  existence  the 
world  may  never  hear,  but  whose  spiritual  impres- 
sions will  continue  to  bear  fruit  among  succeeding 
generations. 

Not  only  does  the  rural  Sunday  school  train 
workers  for  the  churches  of  the  towns  and  cities, 
but  it  furnishes  the  impulses  to  a  complete  conse- 

99 


100    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

cration  of  life  to  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  pro- 
claiming his  truth  to  others.  Doubtless  it  would  be 
found  that  at  least  three-fourths  of  those  who  are 
rendering  faithful,  devoted  and  self-denying  serv'ice 
in  mission  fields,  received  the  incentive  and  the  en- 
couragement to  undertake  this  work  as  their  life  vo- 
cation, in  some  obscure  rural  Sunday  school.  Led  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  they  have  gone  forth  to  receive  an 
education  in  Christian  colleges  and  training  schools 
for  this  specific  task.  It  cannot  be  claimed  that  this 
is  the  result  of  special  missionary  teaching,  because 
in  most  cases  these  young  people  received  their  re- 
ligious instruction  under  untrained,  humble-minded 
men  and  women,  who  probably  were  not  in  touch 
with  the  sources  of  missionary  information.  Is  it 
not,  rather,  due  to  the  fact  that  these  young  lives, 
in  spite  of  their  disadvantages,  were  being  thor- 
oughly impregnated,  by  teaching  and  example,  with 
the  simplest  forms  of  gospel  truth,  which  when  they 
have  gripped  a  life,  are  irresistible  in  their  demands 
for  expressions  ?  "Tell  the  good  news  to  others,"  is 
the  first  command  which  the  gospel  brings  to  us, 
and  it  comes  with  special  force  to  those  who  are 
so  circumstanced  that  they  have  seen  and  experi- 
enced its  transforming  power. 

A  missionary  who  had  given  many  years  of 
faithful  service  in  the  Sunday-school  cause  recently 
said: 

"I  have  preached  in  localities  and  organized 
schools  and  churches  where  children  ten,  twelve, 
sixteen  and  even  nineteen  years  old  were  growing  up, 


Recruits — Ministry  and  Missionary  ServicQ  101 

who  had  never  been  in  a  church  and  had  never 
heard  anyone  preach  but  myself,  and  out  of  these 
very  places  have  come  many  of  the  choicest  experi- 
ences of  my  ministry  and  some  of  the  most  prom- 
ising and  permanent  results.  Work  in  many  of  the 
isolated  communities  does  not  mean  permanency, 
but  it  does  mean  blessing.  In  such  places,  and 
through  our  work,  many  of  our  country  boys  and 
girls  are  sent  out  for  an  education.  Many  of  these 
sturdy  fellows  have  gone  into  the  ministry  and 
other  professions,  and  many  of  the  girls  have  en- 
tered upon  useful  and  happy  lives." 

A  Sunday-school  missionary  in  the  Northwest, 
who  had  a  large  number  of  rural  Sunday  schools 
under  his  care,  became  greatly  concerned  about  one 
of  these  schools  which  he  had  experienced  much 
difficulty  in  keeping  alive.  It  would  live  for  two 
or  three  months  and  then  lapse,  the  missionary  go- 
ing each  time  and  reviving  it  with  new  leaders.  He 
realized  that  steps  must  be  taken  to  produce  a  reli- 
gious awakening  in  the  neighborhood  before  any- 
thing of  a  permanent  character  could  be  done,  so 
he  announced  that  he  would  come  to  them  to  hold 
a  series  of  evangelistic  services.  At  first  the  peo- 
ple were  inclined  to  ignore  the  effort  and  only  a 
few  attended  the  services.  The  missionary  perse- 
vered, however,  and  before  the  meetings  closed 
several  had  professed  conversion.  Among  them 
was  one  little  girl,  the  only  member  of  her  family 
who  was  brave  enough  to  come  forward ;  she  asked 
to  be  baptized  and  received  as  a  member  of  the 


102    By-Products  of  tJic  Rural  Sunday  School 

church  in  the  next  town.  For  a  number  of  years 
afterwards  this  missionary  was  out  of  touch  with 
this  neighborhood,  but  one  day  while  visiting  the 
minister  of  a  prominent  church  in  Minneapolis,  he 
was  shown  a  photograph  of  a  young  woman  dressed 
in  Chinese  costume.  "Do  you  know  that  young 
lady?"  the  minister  inquired.  The  missionary  con- 
fessed that  he  had  no  recollection  of  ever  having 
seen  her.  "Don't  you  remember  the  little  Sunday 
school  at  K ,  and  the  little  girl  who  was  con- 
verted in  your  meetings  there?  She  came  to  the 
city  to  be  educated,  united  with  my  church,  and  now 
she  is  a  missionary  in  Qiina,"  said  the  minister. 
"It  was  in  that  little  Sunday  school  that  she  first 
experienced  the  desire  to  go  to  the  foreign  field." 

Recently  a  young  lady  who  graduated  from  the 
College  of  Idaho  was  accepted  by  a  foreign  mission 
board  for  missionary  service  in  India.  She  came 
from  a  rural  Sunday  school  in  a  Colorado  settle- 
ment. Another  young  lady  from  the  same  institu- 
tion, who  had  come  from  a  little  Sunday  school 
planted  several  years  ago  in  a  Rocky  Mountain 
mining  town,  has  become  a  missionary  teacher. 
She  declared  that  she  received  her  first  desire  to 
become  a  missionary  when  she  was  led  to  Christ  by 
a  consecrated  teacher  in  that  Sunday  school. 

From  another  Sunday-school  missionary,  who  Is 
laboring  in  a  southern  state,  comes  the  report  of  a 
girl  who  had  been  reared  in  a  godless  home,  in  a 
neighborhood  which  had  never  experienced  any 
Christian  influences,  who  gffered  herself  for  for- 


Recruits — Ministry  and  Missionary  Service  103 

cign  missionary  service.  She  is  now  being  trained 
for  her  hfe  work  in  one  of  the  Presbyterian  colleges. 
Some  of  the  finest  examples  of  Christian  consecra- 
tion have  come  from  the  most  unpromising  places. 
The  bad  boy  who  is  finally  induced  to  come  to  the 
little  Sunday  school  and  whose  presence  in  the 
school  is  a  great  trial  to  the  superintendent  and 
teacher,  in  the  providence  of  God,  may  be  a  Robert 
Moffat  or  a  Robert  Morrison  or  another  Alexander 
Mackay.  Perhaps  the  neighborhood  which  the  min- 
ister passes  by  as  hopeless,  may  contain  boys  and 
girls  whom  God  has  chosen  for  large  tasks  in  pro- 
moting his  kingdom,  and  who  await  the  coming  of 
the  Sunday-school  missionary  to  establish  a  Sun- 
day school  for  them.  Thus  the  spiritual  qualities 
which  God  has  implanted  in  their  hearts  may  be 
quickened  into  noble  impulses. 

Not  only  have  rural  Sunday  schools  been  the 
means  of  producing  missionaries  for  the  foreign 
field.  There  are  several  instances  in  which  the 
gospel  candle  which  has  been  lighted  in  an  obscure 
community  has  sent  forth  its  rays  of  lighthouse 
power  and  penetration  into  many  a  dark  place  in 
our  own  land,  through  the  medium  of  a  life  trans- 
formed. In  one  case  a  little  Sunday  school  made 
out  of  one  of  the  worst  boys  in  the  neighborhood 
a  most  efficient  Sunday-school  missionary.  This  is 
how  it  was  done. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  could  read  but  little 
and  was  notoriously  wild  and  wicked,  but  he  was 
quite  regular  in  his  attendance  upon  the  Sunday 


104    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

school  which  was  held  in  the  log  schoolhouse.  The 
missionary  was  holding  gospel  services  and  when, 
at  the  close  of  one  of  the  meetings,  he  asked  all 
who  wanted  Christ  as  their  Saviour  to  stand,  this 
young  man,  with  a  look  of  determination  on  his 
face,  arose.  He  said,  "I  do  want  to  accept  Christ, 
but  it  'pears  like  sumthin'  just  keeps  a  holdin'  of 
me  back."  But  two  or  three  weeks  later,  in  spite  of 
the  jeers  of  the  boys,  he  stayed  after  Sunday  school 
to  seek  the  Lord.  He  had  waited  for  that  "quawr 
feelinV'  but  finally  came,  just  as  he  was,  took  Christ 
at  his  word,  and  soon  was  praising  God  for  saving 
his  soul.  At  once  he  was  filled  with  an  overwhelm- 
ing desire  to  know  the  Word  of  God  and  teach  it. 
He  said,  "I  want  to  get  an  education  so  that  I  can 
teach  the  true  Word  of  God."  He  was  given  a 
class  of  boys  in  the  Sunday  school  and  labored 
earnestly  for  the  salvation  of  each  one.  He  learned 
to  read,  chiefly  from  the  Bible,  spelling  out  the 
words  as  he  went  along.  He  worked  at  logging 
with  an  elder  brother  and  two  other  wild  fellows 
who  tried  in  every  way  to  get  him  to  swear,  to 
drink,  or  in  some  way  to  "break  over,"  but  the 
Lord  kept  him. 

The  next  spring  he  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  in 
a  western  state,  but  before  going  he  visited  every 
home  in  that  neighborhood,  begging  the  unsaved 
ones  to  accept  Christ.  From  Illinois  he  wrote:  "My 
uncle  and  aunt  is  awful  kind  to  me.  They  didn't 
have  nary  Bible  in  their  house  when  I  came  here. 
Uncle  is  a  sinner,  but  she  belongs  to  the  church.  I  am 


Recruits — Ministry  and  Missionary  Service  105 

going  to  try  awful  hard  to  get  uncle  to  give  his  self 
to  the  Lord.  There  has  been  just  one  meeting  here 
since  I  came,  and  I  get  so  lonesome  when  I  can't 
'tend  meeting  and  Sunday  school,"  But  he  went  to 
work,  and  soon  he  wrote,  "Well,  we've  got  a  prayer 
meeting  started  up  here  and  a  Sunday  school,  and 
I  am  a  teacher." 

He  persevered  in  his  detennination  to  get  an  ed- 
ucation, working  his  way  and  hoping  some  day  to 
be  able  to  lead  others  to  Christ  in  missionary  serv- 
ice. Later  he  entered  Moody  Bible  Institute,  where 
he  studied  nearly  two  years,  fitting  himself  to  be- 
come a  Sunday-school  missionary.  Through  his 
labors  scores  of  Sunday  schools  have  been  planted 
and  hundreds  of  lives  have  been  blessed. 

A  young  man  studying  for  the  gospel  ministry  in 
a  western  theological  seminary,  came  from  a  little 
mountain  Sunday  school  which  a  Presbyterian  Sun- 
day-school missionary  organized  a  number  of  years 
ago  in  a  notoriously  wicked  neighborhood.  It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  the  missionary  succeeded 
in  maintaining  this  school,  largely  because  of  the 
feuds  that  had  existed  among  the  leading  families 
for  two  or  three  generations,  making  it  almost  im- 
possible for  him  to  obtain  the  consent  of  anyone 
to  take  charge  of  the  work.  The  young  man  was  a 
member  of  one  of  the  feudist  families  and  had 
been  wounded  several  times  in  attacks  that  had  been 
made  upon  him.  Under  the  regenerating  influence 
of  the  Word  as  he  had  been  taught  it  in  the  little 
Sunday  school  into  which  he  was  induced  to  come, 


106    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

he  found  Christ  and  resolved  to  seek  an  education 
in  order  to  prepare  himself  for  the  Lord's  service. 
He  proved  to  be  an  earnest  student,  and  made  rapid 
progress.  In  the  seminary  he  was  said  to  be  one 
of  the  most  capable  young  men  of  the  entire  student 
body.  During  his  senior  year  he  received  a  number 
of  flattering  invitations  to  accept  calls  to  churches 
where  he  would  have  every  advantage,  but  he  de- 
clined them  all,  saying  that  he  had  resolved  to  go 
back  to  his  own  people  and  devote  his  life  to  serv- 
ice in  their  behalf,  in  spite  of  the  meager  support 
and  self-denial  which  such  a  course  must  involve. 

The  little  Sunday  schools  in  the  southern  moun- 
tains have  been  most  prolific  in  furnishing  men  of 
this  type.  A  most  remarkable  record  is  that  of  two 
rural  Tennessee  Sunday  schools.  From  one  of 
these  Sunday  schools  forty-three  ministers  have 
come,  twenty-six  of  whom  were  Presbyterian,  and 
they  are  all  making  good.  During  the  past  twelve 
years  they  have  been  without  a  pastor  about  one- 
half  of  the  time,  but  the  Sunday  school  goes  on 
without  interruption.  The  other  Sunday  school 
points  to  twenty-five  of  its  young  men  who  have 
become  Presbyterian   ministers. 

In  the  Kentucky  mountains,  Perry  Abbitt,  the 
son  of  a  widow,  had  the  reputation  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  being  a  "powerful  bad  boy."  He  had 
never  been  subject  to  restraint  and  he  delighted  in 
disturbing  meetings  by  firing  a  revolver  and  throw- 
ing stones.  A  Sunday  school  was  organized  in 
that  neighborhood  and  the  missionary  conceived  the 


Recruits — Ministry  and  Missionary  Service  107 

idea  of  engaging  Perry  to  help  him  keep  order 
among  the  boys.  He  accepted  the  responsibility  and 
the  plan  worked  admirably.  If  a  boy  was  disorderly 
Perry  took  him  in  hand  and  it  was  not  long  before 
all  disturbances  were  suppressed.  Three  years  later 
Perry  was  one  of  twenty-three  who  made  a  pro- 
fession of  religion.  Soon  afterwards  this  young 
man  felt  called  to  the  ministry,  and  he  is  now  the 
successfr.l  pastor  of  three  churches  which  were  or- 
ganized largely  through  his  efforts. 

Two  young  men  in  a  Missouri  town  situated  far 
back  from  the  railroad  were  set  to  work  by  a  Sun- 
day-school missionary,  who,  finding  that  they  were 
interested  in  Bible  study,  placed  them  in  charge  of 
a  new  Sunday  school  he  had  organized.  One  was 
appointed  superintendent  and  the  other  undertook 
the  care  of  a  Bible  class.  Although  they  were 
obliged  to  walk  many  miles  each  Sunday,  they  be- 
came increasingly  interested  and  through  their  ef- 
forts the  little  Sunday  school  soon  doubled  In  mem- 
bership and  attendance.  In  the  Bible  class,  teachers 
were  trained  for  other  classes.  Besides  having  a 
transforming  effect  upon  the  community,  their  work 
in  this  little  Sunday  school  developed  the  spiritual 
life  of  these  .two  young  men.  One  of  them,  who 
had  a  good  position  as  an  expert  electrician,  re- 
solved to  devote  his  life  to  the  gospel  ministry  and 
is  now  pursuing  his  studies  in  a  western  city.  The 
other  young  man,  who  was  leader  of  the  Bible  class 
and  who  was  studying  law,  changed  his  plaps  and 


108    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

entered  upon  his  preparatory  course  for  the  rain- 
istry. 

Possibly  one  of  the  best  ways  to  overcome  the 
scarcity  of  candidates  for  the  gospel  ministry  is  to 
give  our  Christian  young  men  some  local  mission- 
ary v^ork  to  do.  There  are  hundreds  of  churches 
in  the  larger  towns  that  could  be  sustaining  mission 
Sunday  schools  in  rural  neighborhoods  within  a 
radius  of  a  few  miles,  thus  providing  for  the  spirit- 
ual needs  of  people  who  cannot  avail  themselves 
of  the  opportunities  which  the  church  offers  to 
those  who  are  living  in  the  towns.  At  the  same 
time  it  would  open  an  avenue  of  service  for  the 
young  men  and  young  women  of  the  church  who 
could  be  placed  in  charge  of  such  schools.  In  this 
way  they  would  become  zealous  for  the  service  of 
Christ.  The  mere  urging  of  our  boys  to  choose  the 
ministry  as  a  vocation  will  not  produce  any  material 
increase  in  the  number  of  candidates  offering  them- 
selves ;  but  if  we  give  our  young  men  a  taste  of 
the  joys  and  blessings  of  Christian  service  through 
such  opportunities  as  a  mission  Sunday  school  af- 
fords, the  attractiveness  of  the  ministry  would  be 
irresistible.  Then  we  may  safely  leave  it  to  the 
wise  operation  of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  call  out  from 
among  them  those  whom  he  has  chosen  for  such 
service.  A  young  man  who  was  a  member  of  a 
Presbyterian  church  in  Denver  was  placed  in  charge 
of  a  little  Sunday  school  in  a  coal-mining  camp 
several  miles  back  in  the  mountains.  He  impressed 
that   entire   neighborhood   with   his   fine   Christian 


Recruits — Ministry  and  Missionary  Service  109 

spirit  and  example,  and  the  Sunday  school  grew 
most  encouragingly.  Although  he  occupied  a  good 
business  position  he  felt  more  and  more  impelled  to 
give  his  life  to  the  work  of  winning  children  to  the 
Sunday  school,  and  was  willing  to  make  sacrifices 
in  order  to  do  so.  After  some  special  preparation 
he  began  his  work  as  a  Sunday-school  missionary 
in  a  western  state  and  has  been  unusually  success- 
ful. 

Another  young  man  who  owned  a  horse  ranch  in 
eastern  Colorado  became  the  superintendent  of  a 
little  Sunday  school  near  his  home.  He  became 
converted,  and  expressed  the  desire  to  devote  his 
life  to  some  form  of  Christian  service.  The  Sun- 
day-school missionary  who  started  the  school  saw 
the  possibilities  in  him,  and  persuaded  him  to  take 
a  course  of  study  preparatory  to  becoming  a  Sun- 
day-school missionary.  He  was  delighted  with  the 
suggestion,  sold  his  ranch  and  took  a  year  of  special 
training,  upon  the  completion  of  which  he  took 
up  the  work  of  organizing  Sunday  schools  in  a 
frontier  field  in  the  far  West. 

Besides  the  missionaries  and  ministers  who  come 
from  its  ranks,  the  rural  Sunday  school  develops 
many  Christian  teachers  who  find  abundant  oppor- 
tunity for  missionary  service  in  the  rural  neighbor- 
hoods to  which  they  are  assigned  as  public  school 
teachers.  A  Sunday-school  missionary  in  south- 
eastern Missouri  has  taken  several  young  women 
from  mission  Sunday  schools  into  his  own  home  in 
the  city,  where  they  have  the  opportunity  of  a  nor- 


1 10    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

mal-school  course.  Girls  who  were  being  reared  in 
humble  homes  in  the  back  country  regions,  with 
but  two  or  three  months'  schooling  each  year,  have 
been  filled  with  the  desire  for  an  education,  and  the 
big-hearted  Sunday-school  missionary  has  helped  as 
many  of  them  as  his  meager  salary  would  allow. 
When  these  girls  complete  their  education  and  go 
out  as  teachers,  every  one  of  them  becomes  in  a 
sense  a  Sunday-school  missionary.  Realizing  what 
the  Sunday  school  has  done  for  them,  they  embrace 
every  opportunity  to  teach  the  Bible  and  impress 
its  truths  upon  the  lives  of  the  boys  and  girls  whom 
they  are  appointed  to  teach  in  the  day  school.  One 
of  these  girls  wrote  to  the  missionary  regarding  her 
experience  in  a  rural  district  where  she  had  gone 
to  teach  school : 

"Before  Christmas  we  had  no  Bibles  nor  much 
material  to  work  with,  but  we  just  made  the  most 
of  what  we  had.  We  began  with  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
I  had  all  the  children  memorize  it ;  and  we  all 
stand  and  repeat  it  every  morning.  They  think  the 
day  is  not  started  right  if  they  do  not  have  that  the 
first  thing.  One  morning  a  pretty  little  five-year-old 
fellow  fell  of¥  the  steps  as  the  children  were  march- 
ing in  for  'time  books'  at  nine  o'clock.  He  really 
had  a  bad  cut  on  his  head  and  I  was  considerably 
worried  about  it.  His  mother  lived  near  and  I  had 
her  come  for  him.  The  result  of  it  was  that  school 
began  thirty  minutes  late.  I  knew  it  would  be  a 
hurried  morning  and  so  I  began  by  telling  the  chil- 
dren abruptly  that  they  must  get  to  their  studies  in 


Recruits — Ministry  and  Missionary  Serv'iCQ  1 1 1 

order  to  get  through  with  all  our  morning  work. 
Not  a  book  came  out !  Disappointed  faces  were  on 
all  sides.  Almost  instantly,  however,  one  Httle  fel- 
low blurted  out,  'Say,  ain't  we  goin'  to  have  our 
Lord's  Prayer  this  morning  ?'    We  had  it. 

"Our  Christmas  tree,  the  children's  first  Christ- 
mas tree,  will,  I  think,  be  long  remembered  by  them 
all.  Many  of  them  learned  for  the  first  time  what 
Christmas  means  in  its  deepest  and  truest  sense. 
The  children's  program  was  well  attended  and  we 
tried  to  make  it  count  for  Christ.  Since  Christmas 
we  have  the  Bibles,  Scripture  calendars,  and  those 
pretty  little  red  Gospels  of  John  that  you  provided 
us  with.  Those  little  red  booklets  took!  On  the 
cover  of  the  booklets  these  words  are  printed: 
'Carry  this  book  in  your  pocket.'  They  follow  out 
the  rule  to  the  very  letter  and  now,  wherever  you 
see  one  of  my  boys  and  girls  you  also  catch  a 
glimpse  of  red  peeping  from  an  apron  or  overalls 
pocket.  They  don't  carry  them  in  their  pockets 
all  the  time.  No,  indeed !  Even  little  six-year-old 
Cortney  spells  out  every  word  and  can  read,  sensi- 
bly, parts  of  the  first  three  chapters  of  John.  At 
various  times  during  the  day,  in  spare  minutes,  the 
children  can  be  seen  poring  over  these  little  books. 
Some  of  the  children  can  read  a  good  portion  of 
them  already." 

One  of  the  most  encouraging  things  about  the 
Sunday  school,  especially  the  rural  Sunday  school, 
is  the  way  in  which  its  work  and  influence  multiply. 
A  little  school  in  a  remote  district  may  be  the  means 


112    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

of  setting  in  motion  spiritual  forces  that  will  have 
a  far-reaching  effect  upon  the  progress  of  the  king- 
dom. One  little  boy  brought  to  Christ  in  a  little 
Sunday  school  becomes  the  spiritual  leader  of  thou- 
sands ;  another  becomes  an  organizer  of  Sunday 
schools  where  a  multitude  of  boys  and  girls  are  led 
into  paths  of  righteousness  and  service  for  Christ. 
A  little  girl  becomes  a  missionary  in  a  heathen  land, 
leading  darkened  souls  into  light ;  another  is  a  Chris- 
tian teacher  in  a  destitute  neighborhood,  all  multi- 
plying many  hundredfold  the  good  influence  and 
teaching  of  the  rural  Sunday  school  where  they 
received  their  first  glimpse  of  better  things  and 
where  the  ambition  to  attain  them  was  awakened. 
Aside  from  those  who  have  given  their  life  serv- 
ice to  the  Master's  service,  there  is  yet  a  greater 
company  of  men  and  women  engaged  in  useful  pur- 
suits who  are  practicing  in  business  and  professional 
life,  as  well  as  in  their  homes,  the  principles  of  the 
gospel  teaching  they  received  in  the  rural  Sunday 
school  of  their  childhood  days,  where  the  founda- 
tion stones  of  their  characters  were  laid.  They  are 
church  workers,  Sunday-school  teachers,  leaders 
and  helpers  in  every  good  cause.  Do  we  look  for 
the  social  influence  of  the  gospel?  We  may  find  it 
here.  Do  we  need  evidence  as  to  the  social  effect 
of  missionary  activity?  We  may  find  it  in  abun- 
dance in  the  great  outreach  of  the  work  of  the 
rural  Sunday  school. 


SOCIAL  EFFECTS  OF  RURAL 
SUNDAY-SCHOOL  WORK 


1 .  A  contrast  to  the  condition  in  wliich  the  negro  Suudci\-scliool  Missionary  found 

them. 

2.  High  school  which  resulted  from  the  awakening  of^a  community  wrought  by 

a  little  Sunday  school  on  the  plains 

3.  The  home  of  five  orphan  girls  found  in  destitute  circumstances  by  the  Sunday- 

school    missionary  who  supplied   their  needs. 

4.  The   Sunday-school    Missionary   and    helpers    taking    Christmas   to   destitute 

families  in  the  Southern  mountains. 


CHAPTER  VII 

SOCIAL   EFFECTS   OF   RURAL    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   WORK 

A  little  cowboy  town  on  the  plains  of  eastern 
Colorado  furnishes  ideal  conditions  for  demonstrat- 
ing the  value  of  Sunday-school  missions  in  unifying 
the  social  forces  of  an  entire  community.  The 
student  of  the  country-church  and  rural-life  problem 
would  find  in  this  neighborhood  an  encouraging  il- 
lustration of  a  religious  monopoly,  where  the  one 
Christian  organization  ministers  to  every  phase  of 
community  life.  The  Sunday-school  missionaries 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  are  exceedingly  careful 
not  to  encourage  the  development  of  churches  in 
communities  already  supplied  with  churches,  of 
other  denominations.  Indeed  it  is  hardly  possible 
for  "over-churched''  conditions  to  develop  from  the 
Sunday-school  missionary's  efforts,  because  his 
work  is  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the  regions 
that  are  unchurched  and  pastorless. 

The  country  round  about  this  town  is  settled 
largely  by  homesteaders  who  located  their  claims 
several  years  ago,  and  have  been  devoting  them- 
selves faithfully  to  the  development  of  homes  in 
compliance  with  the  homestead  laws  of  the  country. 
The  Sunday-school  missionary  visited  this  commun- 
ity with  the  intention  of  establishing  a  Sunday 
school  and  rendering  such  other  assistance  as  might 

116 


1 16    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

be  necessary.  He  was  surprised  to  learn  that  the 
women  of  the  community  had  organized  and  incor- 
porated an  aid  society,  the  purpose  of  which  was  to 
raise  funds  for  the  erection  of  a  church.  It  de- 
veloped that  they  had  been  engaged  in  this  enter- 
prise for  some  months  when  the  missionary  found 
them,  and  that  they  had  accumulated  a  substantial 
fund.  It  happened  that  on  the  very  day  the  mis- 
sionary reached  the  neighborhood  the  ladies  were 
holding  a  meeting  at  one  of  the  ranch  homes.  This 
seemed  to  be  a  providential  opportunity,  so  he  drove 
out  to  have  a  conference  with  them.  After  learn- 
mg  their  plans  he  pointed  out  the  advantages  of 
becoming  affiliated  with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
They  readily  agreed  to  the  proposition  and  shortly 
afterwards  the  organization  was  effected,  the  money 
in  the  treasury  of  the  society,  together  with  title 
to  six  good  lots,  being  contributed,  and  plans 
adopted  for  the  erection  of  a  beautiful  little  pressed- 
brick  building.  This  was  completed  a  few  months 
later  at  a  total  cost  of  about  thirty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars. Special  services  were  held,  as  a  result  of 
which  twelve  persons  were  converted  and  the  en- 
tire community  deeply  stirred.  The  building  has  a 
well-equipped  basement,  and  a  number  of  the  ranch 
people  living  from  four  to  fifteen  miles  out  of  town, 
bring  their  lunch  baskets  on  Sundays,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  morning  service  retire  to  the  basement, 
spread  the  tables,  and  sit  down  together  for  an  hour 
of  Christian  fellowship.  Some  of  those  who  come 
the  farthest  remain  during  the  afternoon,  serving 


Social  E ifects,  Rural  Sunday-School  Work   117 

an  evening  lunch,  in  order  that  they  may  have  the 
benefit  of  the  services  of  the  entire  day. 

A  Senior  Endeavor  Society  of  thirty-two  active 
and  fifteen  associate  members  has  been  organized, 
and  a  Junior  Society  of  about  fifteen  members.  As 
there  was  no  suitable  reading  matter  available  for 
the  use  of  those  who  spent  their  afternoons  in  the 
chapel,  a  library,  consisting  of  well-selected  books, 
together  with  religious  papers  and  magazines,  was 
secured.  The  local  Grange  holds  its  meetings  in 
the  basement  of  the  chapel.  The  village  brass  band 
of  twenty  pieces  meets  there  for  practice  every 
Thursday  night,  one  of  the  elders  of  the  church  act- 
ing as  leader.  Those  who  are  ill  or  in  distress  of 
any  kind  are  cared  for,  whether  they  are  members 
of  the  organization  or  not.  Recently,  the  ladies, 
hearing  that  a  large  family  in  which  there  was  sick- 
ness, needed  assistance,  took  several  of  their  num- 
ber, with  a  sewing  machine,  in  a  farm  wagon,  and 
drove  six  miles  to  spend  the  day  with  the  mother  of 
this  family,  to  help  her  with  the  housework  and  do 
her  sewing.  In  another  case  a  neighbor  was  taken 
sick.  In  order  to  help  him  with  his  farm  work, 
the  young  men  arranged  to  spend  an  afternoon 
hauling  fodder  for  the  stock  on  his  ranch.  Such  a 
helpful  Christian  spirit,  manifested  in  these  prac- 
tical ways,  has  made  this  organization  the  center 
about  which  the  life  of  the  entire  community  clus- 
ters. There  is  no  need  for  any  other  church.  Few 
of  these  people  were  reared  in  Presbyterian  families, 
but  they  arc  glad  to  be  affiliated  with  the  denom- 


118    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

ination  that  showed  an  interest  in  them  in  the  time 
of  their  need. 

Similar  conditions  are  found  at  B ,  another 

frontier  town,  seventeen  miles  from  the  railroad. 
This  neighborhood  consists  of  a  country  store  and 
post  office  with  but  the  one  religious  organization. 
The  Sunday  school  ministers  in  a  most  effective 
manner  to  the  needs  of  the  people  for  a  distance  of 
many  miles  in  every  direction.  One  feature  of  the 
work  is  an  institute  which  is  held  once  a  year  and 
which  all  the  people  are  invited  to  attend,  bringing 
samples  of  vegetables,  grains  and  flowers,  to  dis- 
play the  products  of  their  labors.  A  large  quantity 
of  vegetables  and  grains  is  brought  in  and  artisti- 
cally arranged  about  the  room  and  on  the  platform. 
These  institutes  are  attended  by  one  hundred  and 
fifty  or  two  hundred  people. 

At  noon  a  large  tent  is  erected,  under  which  the 
tables  are  spread.  In  the  afternoon  a  game  of  ball 
is  arranged  for  all  who  wish  to  participate.  While 
this  is  in  progress,  the  regular  program  for  the  day 
is  taken  up  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  not  in- 
terested in  the  ball  game,  and  at  least  two  hours  are 
devoted  to  the  discussion  of  practical  Sunday- 
school  topics.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ball  game 
the  players  and  their  friends  come  into  the  chapel 
to  hear  an  evangelistic  address.  The  spirit  of  the 
whole  occasion  is  beautiful  to  witness,  and  the  peo- 
ple depart  to  their  homes  with  the  feeling  that  they 
have  spent  a  profitable  day,  under  Christian  au- 
spices, not  forgetting  to  recognize  the  bountiful  hand 


Social  Effects,  Rural  Sunday-School  Work    119 

of  the  loving  Father  who  crowns  the  labors  of  their 
hands  with  such  an  abundant  harvest.  The  neigh- 
borhood was  first  discovered  by  the  Sunday-school 
missionary  when  he  was  driving  over  the  plains  one 
day  with  his  buckboard  and  ponies.  The  present 
ideal  country  community  is  the  outgrowth  of  his 
labors  among  them. 

Another  example  of  a  frontier  community  whose 
needs  are  being  effectively  served  through  the  work 
of  the  Sunday  school  may  be  found  in  a  new  town 
in  the  Northwest,  located  in  a  region  which  has  but 
recently  been  opened  to  settlement.  Farmers  seek- 
ing cheap  land  poured  into  this  region  and  took  up 
quarter  sections.  All  the  discouragements  of  pio- 
neer life  entered  into  the  experiences  of  these  people 
during  the  first  two  or  three  years,  but  the  little 
Sunday  school  organized  by  the  Presbyterian  mis- 
sionary held  them  together  during  those  trying 
times.  The  superintendent  of  the  little  school  and 
his  wife,  by  their  example  of  devotion  and  unselfish- 
ness, made  the  Sunday  school  an  institution  of  com- 
munity interest  and  popularity.  Many  of  the  new- 
comers were  inexperienced  in  country  life,  but  in 
every  need  they  found  a  helpful  friend  at  the  home 
of  this  Sunday-school  superintendent.  Scarcely  a 
day  passed  but  some  one  in  need  of  some  assistance 
came  to  this  home,  and  none  was  turned  away 
empty.  It  might  be  that  a  neighbor's  horse  was 
sick,  or  the  little  baby  of  a  family  three  or  four 
miles  away  had  the  whooping  cough,  or  perhaps 
still  another  neighbor's  horse  had  a  barb  wire  cut, 


120    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

and  danger  of  blood  poison  was  threatening;  no 
matter  what  was  the  nature  of  the  trouble,  it  was 
to  these  good  people  that  the  whole  neighborhood 
went  for  assistance.  Not  only  were  they  called 
upon  for  help  during  the  day,  but  also  in  the  night, 
and  there  was  always  the  same  cheerful  response. 
They  had  no  funds  with  which  to  erect  a  chapel, 
so  they  cleared  out  the  loft  of  a  corn  house  and 
converted  it  into  a  meeting  place.  Although  the 
families  were  widely  scattered,  the  attendance  at 
the  Sunday  school  averaged  more  than  one  hun- 
dred, at  every  session.  All  through  the  long,  severe 
winters  they  kept  the  Sunday  school  in  existence. 
During  the  summer  a  student  preacher  gave  them 
occasional  services.  A  men's  club  was  organized, 
which  included  in  its  membership  the  men  from 
nearly  every  homestead  for  miles  around.  This  club 
provides  concerts,  literary  entertainments,  suppers 
and  debates,  and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  no  outside 
talent  is  available,  they  have  made  these  occasions 
exceedingly  enjoyable.  But  the  Sunday  school  is 
the  center  of  the  entire  work.  Attendance  at  the 
Sunday  school  is  considered  a  part  of  the  educa- 
tional program  of  the  men's  club.  A  large  men's 
Bible  class  has  been  formed,  and  is  taught  by  a 
woman  who  is  homesteading,  but  who  has  been 
trained  in  scientific  farming,  and  who,  by  profes- 
sion, is  a  veterinary  surgeon.  In  a  new  country 
like  this  a  woman  of  such  qualities  merits  and  re- 
ceives the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  frontiersmen. 


Social  Effects,  Rural  Sunday-School  Work    121 

In  spite  of  the  long  distances  that  must  be  trav- 
ersed, the  young  people  come  together  for  musical 
training  for  two  hours  every  week,  and  seldom  do 
they  miss  a  single  meeting.  They  have  a  good  choir 
and  an  orchestra  for  every  religious  service.  A  well 
equipped  library  has  been  secured  and  is  patronized 
by  every  family.  There  is  no  other  church  or  Sun- 
day school  in  this  entire  neighborhood. 

Nor  is  there  any  need  for  any  additional  religious 
organization.  This  one  school  reaches  all  the  peo- 
ple, provides  religious  education  for  the  children 
and  young  people,  besides  social  life  and  recreation 
for  entire  countryside.  This  is  being  done  in  a 
community  without  any  of  the  modern  conven- 
iences, with  no  church  equipment,  not  even  a  chapel. 

Another  very  interesting  illustration  of  the  com- 
munity service  of  a  rural  Sunday  school  is  seen  in 

the   work  at   L ,   one   of  the   oldest  towns   in 

northern  Colorado.  For  many  years  the  different 
pastors  of  a  neighboring  town  visited  the  commu- 
nity in  turn  and  held  religious  services  in  the  school- 
house,  maintaining  a  Sunday  school  during  portions 
of  each  year  with  varying  success.  Occasionally 
evangelistic  services  were  held  by  an  itinerant 
preacher  and  an  effort  made  to  crystallize  the  re- 
sults into  church  organization,  but  for  some  reason 
all  such  attempts  were  fruitless,  and  the  community 
went  on  as  before,  without  even  a  Sunday  school, 
the  children  roaming  about  or  picking  berries  on 
Sunday,  just  as  they  felt  inclined. 


122    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

The  Sunday-school  missionary  had  been  carefully 
watching  the  situation  as  he  passed  back  and  forth 
through  the  town  on  his  trips  from  the  plains  to  the 
mountains  above,  and  early  one  summer  he  visited 
the  people  and  announced  a  meeting  at  the  school- 
house  to  consider  the  question  of  organizing  a  Sun- 
day school.  A  former  superintendent  was  sought  out 
and  invited  to  be  present.  He  promised  to  come 
with  the  distinct  understanding  that  he  was  not  to 
be  asked  again  to  take  charge  of  the  school.  Ac- 
cording to  appointment  sixteen  came  together,  and, 
after  a  season  of  prayer  and  singing,  it  was  decided 
to  have  a  school.  No  one  could  be  found  who 
would  accept  the  position  of  superintendent.  Fi- 
nally the  missionary  agreed  to  come  each  Sunday 
and  conduct  the  school  until  a  suitable  person  could 
be  secured  to  take  the  place.  In  less  than  a  month 
a  young  man  volunteered  to  undertake  the  work, 
and  very  soon  the  attendance  grew  to  fifty. 

In  the  fall  a  series  of  meetings  was  held  in  the 
schoolhouse.  Upon  the  missionary's  arrival  an  ef- 
fort was  made  to  secure  a  boarding  place  for  him. 
He  found  that  the  people  were  quite  indifferent. 
Sixteen  families  were  visited  before  either  room 
or  board  could  be  obtained.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  meetings  some  of  the  boys  in  the  com- 
munity who  had  not  been  attending  the  Sunday 
school,  determined  to  break  up  the  services.  They 
came  early,  climbed  in  and  out  through  the  open 
windows,  shouted  around  the  outside  of  the  build- 
ing, whispered  and  laughed  during  the  services  un- 


Social  Effects,  Rural  Sunday-School  Work   123 

til  it  became  necessary  to  call  an  officer  to  quiet  the 
disturbance.  The  missionary  persevered,  however, 
and  determined  to  put  forth  every  effort  in  their 
behalf  before  he  would  give  up  the  fight  against 
those  evil  surroundings.  The  interest  increased  as 
the  days  went  by,  and  at  the  end  of  three  weeks 
thirty-eight  persons  expressed  a  desire  to  make  a 
profession  of  their  faith  in  Christ.  They  now  have 
a  Sunday  school  numbering  seventy-five  with  a 
Home  Department  and  a  Cradle  Roll.  They  are 
also  conducting  a  mission  school  at  another  point, 
where  a  chapel  building  has  been  erected.  These 
people  have  a  missionary  vision  and  have  found  a 
blessing  in  passing  on  to  others  the  light  that  they 
have  received.  The  community  now  has  a  reputa- 
tion for  Sabbath  observance.  The  people  are  or- 
derly and  respectful  in  the  house  of  God.  Nearly 
all  of  the  large  company  of  young  people  are  ear- 
nest, active  Christians.  So,  from  the  small,  unprom- 
ising beginning,  has  grown  an  organization  which 
under  the  directing  hand  of  God,  is  molding  and 
shaping  the  character  and  destiny  of  a  community 
of  at  least  six  hundred  souls,  making  them  not  only 
law-abiding,  but  worthy  to  become  citizens  of  the 
kingdom  of  our  Lord. 

The  Sunday  school  not  only  develops  the  reli- 
gious life  of  the  community,  but  it  has  awakened 
them  to  their  needs  in  other  directions.  Previous 
to  the  arrival  of  the  Sunday-school  missionary  there 
were  no  district  schools,  and  the  children  were  de- 
pendent upon  the  town  schools  several  miles  away 


124    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

for  their  education.  Consequently  many  of  them 
received  no  schooling  at  all.  The  coming  of  the 
Sunday  school  created  the  demand  for  a  day  school, 
and  the  people  persevered  until  they  obtained  it. 

Very  recently  the  four  school  districts  centering 
about  this  place  have  been  consolidated,  and  a  beau- 
tiful building  has  been  erected  at  a  cost  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars,  and  fully  equipped.  There 
are  now  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  pupils  en- 
rolled in  this  school,  fifty  of  whom  are  in  the  high- 
school  department.  A  home  for  the  superintendent 
has  been  erected  on  the  grounds,  and  the  entire 
plant  is  modern  in  every  detail.  People  are  now 
moving  to  this  community  because  of  the  opportu- 
nity afforded  to  educate  their  children  and  the  many 
other  advantages  which  accompany  these  improved 
conditions.  Thus  this  Sunday  school  is  widening 
its  scope  of  influence  year  by  year,  and  working 
hand  in  hand  with  the  public  school,  providing  the 
religious  training  which  the  latter  cannot  give. 

In  several  instances  the  coming  of  the  Sunday 
school  into  a  community  has  been  the  means  of 
creating  a  demand  for  better  educational  facilities. 
In  a  mining  town  of  Arizona  where  a  missionary 
experienced  considerable  opposition  upon  the  occa- 
sion of  his  first  visit,  and  where  he  could  not  find 
a  home  that  would  entertain  him  overnight,  the 
Sunday  school,  which  eventually  was  organized, 
opened  the  way  for  the  establishment  of  a  day 
school.  As  the  missionary  called  on  the  people  they 
told  him  that  they  had  no  public  school,  and  as  the 


Social  Effects,  Rural  Sunday-School  Work    125 

township  had  not  yet  been  districted  there  were  no 
funds  for  school  purposes.  The  mining  company  had 
promised  to  give  them  a  place  to  school  their  children 
but  had  not  done  so.  Investigation  revealed  the 
fact  that  there  were  at  least  fifty  children  in  town 
who  ought  to  be  in  school.  The  missionary  called 
upon  the  officers  of  the  company  and  made  ar- 
rangements for  the  erection  of  a  chapel,  which 
could  be  used  for  Sunday  school  and  day  school  as 
well.  The  missionary  in  the  meantime  took  the  en- 
rollment and  a  teacher  was  employed. 

In  several  little  mountain  towns  in  eastern  Ken- 
tucky where  mission  Sunday  schools  were  estab- 
lished, day  schools  soon  followed,  and  thus  the  boys 
and  girls  from  those  mountain  cabins,  who  pre- 
viously were  without  any  adequate  educational  op- 
portunities, have  been  given  a  start  which  has  led 
many  of  them  into  useful  careers. 

A  negro  Sunday-school  missionary  makes  the 
statement  that  one-half  the  negro  children  get  no 
schooling  whatever.  Careful  analysis  of  the  re- 
ports of  state  superintendents  showing  the  attend- 
ance by  grades,  indicates  that  the  average  child, 
Including  whites,  who  attends  school  at  all,  stops 
with  the  third  grade.  In  North  Carolina  the  aver- 
age citizen  gets  only  2.6  years ;  in  South  Carolina, 
2.5  years;  in  Alabama  2.4  years  of  schooling,  both 
private  and  public.  In  these  states,  in  small,  crude 
schoolhouses,  under  teachers  receiving  an  average 
salary  of  twenty-five  dollars  a  month,  children  have 
been  receiving  an  average  of  five  cents'  worth  of 


126    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

education  a  day  for  eighty-seven  days  only,  in  each 
year.  Here  again  in  some  cases  the  educational 
institution  has  followed  the  opening  of  the  Sunday 
school.  The  first  negro  Sunday  school  in  a  Georgia 
county  was  organized  by  a  Sunday-school  mission- 
ary several  years  ago.  Out  of  this  Sunday  school 
an  academy  has  grown,  and  under  the  wise  direc- 
tion of  our  Freedmen's  Board,  it  is  doing  a  remark- 
able work  among  the  negro  boys  and  girls  of  that 
region.  The  consensus  of  opinion  is  that  this  whole 
county,  and  the  adjacent  counties,  as  well,  have 
been  greatly  blessed  and  benefited  by  the  organ- 
ization of  Sunday  schools.  All  agree  that  these 
Sunday  schools  have  developed  the  spiritual  and 
intellectual  life  of  these  needy  negroes,  leading  the 
way  to  better  social  conditions. 

It  has  been  truly  said  that  in  hundreds  of  cases 
the  Sunday  school  stands  in  the  place  of  the  church, 
and  does  the  work  of  the  church.  This  statement 
must  be  interpreted,  of  course,  in  the  light  of  the 
broader  conception  of  the  church's  function  in  a 
community.  The  Sunday  school  cannot,  of  course, 
provide  regular  preaching  services,  although  the 
Sunday-school  missionary  holds  a  preaching  serv- 
ice every  time  he  visits  the  neighborhoods  where 
Sunday  schools  have  been  planted.  At  such  times 
the  people  crowd  the  little  schoolhouse  to  overflow- 
ing, even  on  week  nights.  The  Sunday  school 
serves  the  community  in  the  largest  sense  by  the 
Christian  standards  which  it  sets  up,  the  Christian 
principles  which  it  teaches  and  the  Christian  prac- 


Social  Effects,  Rural  Sunday-School  Work    127 

tices  which  it  encourages.  In  new  neighborhoods 
especially,  opportunities  for  Christian  service  are 
constantly  arising,  and  the  spirit  of  neighborliness 
is  being  put  to  the  test  almost  daily.  The  sharing 
of  mutual  blessings,  and  hardships  as  well,  the  sym- 
pathetic interest  that  is  developed  as  they  come  to 
know  one  another  more  intimately,  all  center  in  the 
little  community  Sunday  school  which  binds  them 
together  in  a  bond  of  mutual  helpfulness  and  de- 
pendence. 

A  Sunday-school  missionary  in  a  southwestern 
state  tells  of  the  work  of  a  Sunday  school  which  is 
located  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  the 
railroad.  There  is  but  one  Christian  family  in  the 
entire  neighborhood.  The  father  superintends  the 
Sunday  school,  buries  the  dead  and,  by  virtue  of  his 
civil  office,  performs  marriage  ceremonies.  A  wo- 
man in  one  of  the  small  mining  camps  in  Arizona 
is  the  only  Christian  in  the  entire  district.  She  is 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  and  is  called 
upon  to  conduct  funerals.  One  day  she  was  asked 
to  conduct  the  funeral  of  one  of  the  roughest  miners 
in  camp.  At  first  she  shrank  from  the  task,  but  she 
could  not  permit  the  man  to  be  buried  without  some 
sort  of  religious  ceremony,  so  she  finally  agreed  to 
conduct  the  service. 

Very  helpful  service  is  frequently  rendered  by 
the  Sunday-school  missionaries  in  relieving  the 
material  necessities  of  families  in  their  fields  who 
are  in  distress  and  want,  through  failure  of  crops 
or  other  misfortune.     Quantities  of  clothing  are 


128    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

shipped  to  them  during  the  winter  months  by 
churches  in  eastern  states,  and  many  a  discouraged 
family  has  thus  been  assisted  in  a  time  of  urgent 
need.  Following  a  severe  drought  one  of  our  Colo- 
rado missionaries  organized  a  committee  consisting 
of  representatives  of  all  the  Presbyterian  churches 
of  Denver,  and  practical  methods  were  devised  for 
gathering  funds,  and  distributing  food,  clothing  and 
fuel  to  the  worthy  people  on  the  homesteads,  whose 
crops  had  failed.  During  the  winter  at  least  five 
thousand  garments  were  sent  directly  to  the  homes 
of  these  people.  One  hundred  families  were  pro- 
vided with  groceries  and  fuel  for  almost  three 
months.  These  people  were  very  grateful  for  this 
timely  assistance  and  were  enabled  to  remain  on 
their  homesteads,  planting  their  crops  with  good 
prospects  for  fair  returns  the  next  season.  As  a 
direct  result  of  this  ministry,  there  was  an  increased 
interest  in  the  organization  and  maintaining  of  new 
Sunday  schools  in  all  these  communities. 

On  another  occasion  this  missionary  received  word 
that  two  young  people  and  a  married  woman  living 
in  three  different  communities  where  he  had  la- 
bored were  in  the  hospitals  of  Denver  for  oper- 
ations. During  the  woman's  illness  three  of  her 
children  were  buried,  out  on  the  plains.  A  number 
of  visits  were  made  to  these  people,  words  of 
comfort  and  cheer  spoken,  and  other  helpful 
ministrations  given.  A  missionary  in  western  Kan- 
sas gives  us  an  interesting  description  of  similar 
work  which  he  has  done  among  needy  families  on 


Social  Effects,  Rural  Sunday-School  Work   129 

his  field;  and  points  to  some  of  the  good  results 
that  have  followed :  'Tor  three  years  they  have  been 
'going  out,' "  he  writes.  "Each  year  it  has  been  a 
little  harder  on  the  Sunday  schools  out  there  and 
each  year  some  of  them  have  had  to  give  up  because 
there  were  not  enough  people  left.  In  spite  of  this 
situation  there  are  little  neighborhoods  here  and 
there  where  the  people  are  holding  on,  and  staying, 
and  intend  to  stay,  and  many  of  the  people  are 
making  good  and  can  stay.  Many  of  these  com- 
munities have  had  no  religious  services  but  the  Sun- 
day school.  They  have  appreciated  what  we  have 
been  doing  to  help  them  and  what  we  have 
been  doing  has  been  'doing  good.'  In  one  of  our 
neighborhoods,  the  superintendent  who  has  been 
doing  a  self-sacrificing  work  for  the  last  six  years, 
where  he  has  had  strong  opposition  because  of  his 
upright  life,  said:  The  people  out  here  are  acting 
differently  from  what  they  did.  They  are  talking 
differently,  too.  They  are  treating  me  differently 
and  they  are  taking  a  different  attitude  toward  the 
Sunday  school.  I  don't  know  what  did  it.  The 
only  thing  that  I  can  see  that  could  be  the  cause  of 
it  is  the  clothing  and  things  that  you  have  been 
sending  out  here  for  the  past  three  years.  The 
folks  have  needed  those  things  badly  and  they  have 
appreciated  them  and  the  way  they  were  sent  out. 
I  don't  see  anything  else  that  could  have  made  the 
cliange  in  the  folks  here  and  I  believe  that  these 
kindly  ministrations  have  been  the  caq^e  of  their 
changing  feelings.'  " 


130    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

Again  the  Sunday  school  brings  improvements 
into  the  homes.  The  missionaries  who  labor  among 
the  southern  mountaineers  give  repeated  testimony 
to  the  improved  conditions  of  the  little  cabin  homes 
of  those  who  come  under  the  influence  of  the  Sun- 
day school,  and  this  is  one  of  the  most  effec- 
tive ways  of  spreading  the  influence  of  the  Sun- 
day school  among  those  who  are  inclined  to  be  in- 
diflferent  toward  it.  Though  some  may  oppose  all 
innovations,  they  cannot  fail  to  see  the  improve- 
ment which  takes  place  in  the  homes  of  those  who 
are  connected  with  the  Sunday  school.  Curtains 
appear  at  the  windows,  better  furniture  is  pur- 
chased, fences  are  repaired  and  yards  cleaned  up. 
The  children  are  cleaner,  the  women  are  neater  in 
their  dress,  and  gradually  the  aspect  of  the  entire 
community  gives  evidence  of  the  new  and  higher  in- 
fluence that  has  come  into  their  lives.  Here  again 
we  may  see  some  of  the  transforming  social  effects 
of  gospel  teaching.  The  development  of  a  neigh- 
borly attitude ;  the  awakening  of  the  desire  to  ren- 
der service  to  others  in  the  commonplace  things  of 
everyday  life ;  the  joy  that  is  found  in  every  oppor-» 
tunity  to  do  good ;  all  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that 
the  Word  has  gripped  human  lives,  bringing  them 
into  vital  connection  with  Him  who  teaches  his  fol- 
lowers that  even  so  small  a  service  as  the  giving  of 
a  cup  of  cold  water  shall  not  lose  its  reward. 


WAYSIDE  EVANGELISM 


Nl. 


1.  The  Sunday-school   Missionary  and  his    camping  outfit,    equipped    to    spend 

weeks  on  the  road. 

2.  The  superintendent  and  two  teachers  in  a  Sunday  school  on  the  Kansas  plains. 

3.  The  only  literature  they  receive  is  the  Sunday-school  paper. 

4.  A  welcome  wayside  visit  to  an  isolated  family. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

WAYSIDE  EVANGELISM 

A  feature  of  rural  Sunday-school  work  which 
makes  it  a  most  helpful  form  of  evangelism  is  the 
house-to-house  visitation.  The  successful  Sunday- 
school  missionary  finds  this  one  of  the  most  fruit- 
ful and  refreshing  of  the  many  and  varied  services 
which  he  is  called  upon  to  perform.  He  is  the  pas- 
tor of  scattered  flocks  who  have  no  other  pastoral 
care.  Often  he  is  called  upon  to  minister  to  the 
sick  and  the  needy;  to  cheer  those  who  have  be- 
come discouraged ;  to  relieve  those  who  are  in  pov- 
erty, and  in  various  other  ways  to  emulate  the  ex- 
ample of  Him  "who  went  about  doing  good."  It  is 
frequently  his  privilege  to  be  the  first  representa- 
tive of  the  gospel  to  visit  the  lonely,  isolated  homes 
of  those  who  have  gone  out  as  pioneers  into  the 
newer  parts  of  the  country.  Families  who  are  liv- 
ing in  localities  far  removed  from  any  church  or 
other  Christian  influence,  and  who  have  fallen  into 
the  careless  ways  that  are  the  result  of  spiritual 
neglect,  are  brought  back  to  the  days  when  they 
were  interested  in  church  work  in  their  former 
homes,  and  enjoyed  the  blessings  and  privileges 
which  the  church  with  its  various  activities  brought 
to  them.  If  the  Sunday-school  missionary  did  noth- 
ing else  but  minister  in  helpful  ways  to  these  "mar- 

133 


134    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

ginal  peoples,"  as  one  missionary  has  characterized 
them,  his  services  would  be  worth  while,  and 
worthy  of  the  denomination  that  sends  him  forth 
upon  such  a  mission  of  love  and  mercy.  Homes 
where  the  name  of  God  never  was  uttered  except 
in  profane  speech  have  been  transformed  by  the 
visit  of  a  Sunday-school  missionary.  Family  altars 
have  been  erected  and  a  Christian  atmosphere  has 
been  created ;  gentleness  and  forbearance  take  the 
place  of  crudeness  and  unkindness.  Children  are 
reared  to  love  and  study  God's  Word.  The  Sabbath 
is  restored  and  God  is  recognized  as  the  head  of 
the  household. 

When  a  "Home  Department  Quarterly"  was 
handed  to  a  woman  living  in  a  little  shack  on  the 
Wyoming  border,  she  said  to  the  Sunday-school 
missionary,  "I  am  so  glad  you  called ;  I  was  just 
wishing  for  something  of  this  kind."  She  had  gone 
there  from  Florida  to  take  up  a  homestead  claim, 
and  he  was  the  first  Christian  worker  she  had  met. 
In  another  home  he  called  before  the  family  had 
finished  breakfast.  When  he  mentioned  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Sunday  school  they  said,  "Why,  we  have 
just  been  talking  about  the  need  and  the  possibilities 
of  having  a  Sunday  school  out  here."  At  another 
home  which  he  visited,  where  he  found  both  the 
husband  and  wife  at  home,  he  was  told  that  the 
man  had  run  away  from  a  Christian  home  when  he 
was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  had  drifted  into  that 
new  country.  Here,  under  various  circumstances, 
he  had  remained   for  twenty-six  years.     He  said 


Wayside  Evangelism  135 

that  for  some  reason  he  had  always  felt  a  re- 
straining hand  whenever  tempted  to  indulge  in 
the  excesses  of  frontier  life.  Now,  in  middle  life, 
as  reverses  had  come,  he  and  his  wife  had  felt  the 
need  of  better  things.  "What  a  joy,"  said  the  mis- 
sionary in  referring  to  this  incident,  "to  talk  freely 
with  these  dear  people  and  to  kneel  in  that  humble 
home  for  a  little  talk  with  the  heavenly  Father  and 
our  blessed  Lord.  After  nearly  three  years  of  serv- 
ice in  this  large  field  of  far-scattered  people  I  am 
coming  to  realize  how  much  it  means  to  be  a  pastor 
to  shepherdless  people  and  as  far  as  possible  a 
friend  to  all.  May  the  Lord  help  us  all  to  be 
faithful  to  the  simple,  plain  tasks  which  are  always 
ours." 

A  missionary  who  has  an  extensive  territory  to 
cover  in  the  southeastern  section  of  Washington 
and  who  never  neglects  an  opportunity  to  speak  a 
word  of  cheer  in  the  homes  he  passes  on  his  jour- 
neys, describes  frontier  life  in  that  region  in  a  way 
that  reveals  the  need  of  such  a  system  as  our  church 
is  maintaining  through  its  rural  Sunday-school 
work.  "The  summers  are  short,"  he  writes,  "and 
they  must  make  hay  while  the  sun  shines.  The 
winters  are  long,  the  snow  deep,  the  mountains  im- 
passable and  of  necessity  as  well  as  from  inclination 
they  must  remain  buried  throughout  the  long  win- 
ter in  their  snow-bound  canons.  So  generous  was 
the  spirit  and  grace  of  hospitality  among  the  people 
I  visited  without  hope  of  reward,  and  always  with 
such  kindness  and  consideration,  that  it  more  than 


136    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

compensated  me  for  the  long  tramps,  rough  climbs, 
discomforts,  drenches  and  dangers  which  I  experi- 
enced in  visiting  them.  It  was  worth  'hitting  a 
trail'  of  over  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles, 
bHstering  one's  feet,  and  dodging  the  ubiquitous 
rattlesnake  in  these  hot  carions." 

It  may  be  difficult  for  us  to  imagine  what  the 
visit  of  the  Sunday-school  missionary  means  to 
people  who  are  so  isolated,  and  so  unprivileged  with 
reference  to  religious  things.  The  men  come  in 
from  the  field ;  they  bring  in  the  children ;  and  all 
listen  reverently  while  the  missionary  reads  a  por- 
tion of  Scripture  and  prays  with  them.  It  gives 
them  new  courage  for  their  struggle. 

Quite  recently  a  letter  was  received  at  the  office 
of  the  Board  which  sends  out  these  Sunday-school 
workers,  from  a  woman  who,  through  a  chance 
meeting,  directed  one  of  these  missionaries  to  a 
neighborhood  where  the  people  were  in  great  need 
of  encouragement.  Coming  from  one  who  wrote 
from  actual  knowledge  of  the  situation  it  forms  a 
very  valuable  contribution  to  this  consideration  of 
the  benefits  of  the  "wayside  evangelism"  which  is 
peculiar  to  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school  mis- 
sionary.   This  is  the  letter: 

"Last  summer,  a  man  sent  out  by  your  Board 
held  a  meeting  in  the  sand-hill  country  of  eastern 
Wyoming,  concerning  which  I  have  had  it  in  mind 
to  write  you  ever  since  I  came  to  learn  what  that 
meeting  had  meant  to  the  people  there,  it  being  my 
thought  that  my  doing  so  would  help  you  to  under- 


Wayside  Evangelism  137 

stand  how  your  work  does  bless  the  lives  of  the 
people  of  these  isolated  districts,  and  that  it  would 
give  you  pleasure  and  encouragement  to  be  made 
acquainted  with  the  little  incident  that  I  shall  relate. 

"My  mother,  two  brothers  and  myself  reside  on 

homesteads   in   G County,  Wyoming,   not   far 

west  from  the  Nebraska  line.  The  country  is  new, 
its  resources  limited ;  the  struggle  for  existence  a 
real  struggle.  The  settlers  are  scattered,  in  strait- 
ened circumstances,  with  the  exception,  now  and 
then,  of  a  well-to-do  cattleman.  There  is  no  social 
life  and  considerable  lack  of  neighborly  interest  and 
loyalty  as  yet. 

"On  a  train  one  day,  I  met  your  missionary.  I  had 
recently  come  from  my  homestead  and  my  heart 
was  full  of  the  thought  of  the  needs  of  the  people 
of  that  valley.  At  once  I  spoke  to  him  of  the  need 
of  some  one  who  could  carry  to  them  the  message 
that  Christian  people  beyond  the  hills  inclosing  that 
little  settlement  were  interested  in  them,  cared  for 
them,  and  that  God  cared  also.  He  responded  to 
my  statement  with  a  hearty,  T  will  go  myself.'  He 
kept  his  word,  going  into  the  valley  and  meeting  in 
their  homes  as  many  of  the  people  as  he  could,  and 
on  Sunday  preaching  to  them  in  their  schoolhouse. 

"Where  life  is  so  great  a  struggle,  where  people 
are  so  isolated,  they  become  careless,  discouraged, 
indifferent,  selfish,  drift  very  far  away  from  the 
things  of  God.  I  had  the  feeling  that  the  people  of 
this  particular  settlement  would  be  hard  to  reach, 


138    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

but  those  who  came  in  contact  with  your  missionary 
were  all  won." 

In  this  feature  of  rural  Sunday-school  work,  the 
distribution  of  religious  literature  plays  an  impor- 
tant part.  Through  the  visitation  of  scattered  homes 
the  Sunday-school  missionary  is  able  to  place  the 
Sunday-school  lesson  helps  and  story  papers,  as 
well  as  tracts  and  leaflets,  in  the  hands  of  those  who 
do  not  have  the  advantage  of  free  libraries  and  who 
in  many  instances,  are  financially  unable  to  sub- 
scribe for  current  magazines.  A  Sunday-school 
missionary  asked  a  boy  to  whom  he  had  "given  a 
lift"  along  the  road,  if  he  had  a  Bible  at  home. 
"Yes,"  replied  the  boy,  "we  have  two,"  mentioning 
the  names  of  two  large  mail  order  houses  whose 
catalogues  are  found  in  nearly  every  homestead 
shack. 

It  means  something,  also,  to  have  literature  com- 
ing into  these  homes,  bearing  the  imprimatur  of  a 
religious  organization.  It  is  an  introduction  at 
least,  if  nothing  more,  to  the  spiritual  forces  that 
are  at  work  in  the  land  and  an  indication  that  they 
are  endeavoring  to  reach  out,  even  in  this  small 
way,  after  those  who  are  temporarily  beyond  the 
influence  of  the  Church,  Sunday  school  and  the 
other  blessings  which  the  permanentl}'^  establishec 
forms  of  Christianity  would  bring  to  them.  Thou- 
sands of  pamphlets  and  Sunday-school  papers  are 
distributed  in  this  wav  durinp-  the  course  of  a  year's 
work.  The  small  editions  of  the  Gospels  have  been 
found  particularly  useful. 


Wayside  Evangelism  139 

Some  of  the  missionaries  keep  a  record  of  the 
names  of  the  families  they  visit  and  mail  Sunday- 
school  papers  to  them  occasionally.  In  regions 
where  the  mail  service  is  irregular  and  where  very 
little  good  reading  matter  enters,  these  silent  mes- 
sengers of  the  gospel  are  appreciated  and  are  fre- 
quently the  means  of  bringing  many  a  lonely  man  or 
woman  back  to  God.  One  of  these  missionaries,  in 
traveling  over  a  section  of  country  where  he  had 
been  obliged  to  walk  more  than  one  hundred  miles, 
saw  a  man  some  distance  away  slowly  making  his 
way  down  the  rocky  trail,  leading  his  horse.  As  he 
came  nearer,  the  missionary  greeted  him,  calling 
him  by  name,  having  seen  it  on  the  letter  box  which 
he  had  passed  a  short  while  before.  He  seemed 
startled  and  yet  pleased  at  being  addressed  by  a 
stranger.  The  missionary  then  introduced  himself 
and  told  him  his  mission.  He  found  that  the  man 
was  interested  in  better  things.  He  said  he  had 
always  attended  Sunday  school  and  church  when  he 
was  "at  home  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia."  He 
had  homesteaded,  and  "up  there  over  the  ridge"  he 
was  trying  to  build  a  home.  His  father  had  come 
out  to  live  with  him,  but  ill  health  had  overtaken 
him,  and  he  died.  This  man  had  been  his  father's 
nurse  and  undertaker.  He  had  laid  his  companion 
to  rest  among  the  rocks  of  that  isolated  homestead. 
"Yes,  it  gets  lonely  sometimes,"  he  said,  but  a  smile 
crossed  his  lips  as  he  changed  his  narrative.  "I  had 
a  strange  thing  happen  to  me  the  other  dav,"  he 
continued.    "I  came  down  for  my  mail  and  some  one 


l40    By-Products  of  tie  Rural  Sunday  School 

had  sent  me  a  magazine.  It  had  a  sphinx  head  on 
the  cover,  I  opened  it  and  found  it  was  a  Sunday- 
school  'Quarterly.'  Don't  you  know,  it  sort  of  got 
me  for  a  few  minutes.  We  fellows  out  here  get 
careless  and  forget  about  Sunday — and  I  guess 
everything  else  that's  good.  I  had  not  been  reading 
my  Bible.  Well,  it  just  brought  back  to  my  mem- 
ory those  dear  old  days  in  New  York  when  I  used 
to  be  a  regular  attendant  at  church  and  Sunday 
school.  How  did  they  know  I  was  out  here  and 
lonely?  How  did  they  find  out  about  me?  I  tell 
you  I  thought  I  was  forgotten — but  some  one  must 
have  cared.  It  helped  me  to  get  back  into  a  little 
different  way  of  living."  It  was  this  very  mission- 
ary to  whom  he  was  talking  who  had  mailed  the 
"Quarterly"  to  him.  The  silent  but  none  the  less 
forceful  message  of  the  printed  page  has  been  the 
means  of  leading  many  a  soul  nearer  to  its  God, 
bringing  peace  and  comfort  in  times  of  distress  and 
grief,  and  restoring  those  who  have  grown  cold 
and  indifferent  in  their  service  of  Christ. 

The  Sunday-school  missionary  finds  many  oppor- 
tunities in  his  visitations  for  personal  work  with 
the  unsaved.  He  seizes  every  opportunity  to  im- 
press upon  hearts  that  never  have  been  touched  by 
the  call  of  the  Saviour,  the  gracious  invitation  to 
accept  the  salvation  which  is  so  freely  offered  to 
all  who  will  believe.  Many  hopeful  conversions 
have  resulted.  One  of  these  missionaries  whose 
field  of  labor  is  among  the  hill  dwellers  of  West 
Virginia    reported    twenty-five    such    conversions 


Wayside  Evangelism  141 

within  a  single  month.  In  every  home  he  read 
carefully  selected  passages,  offered  prayer  and  con- 
versed with  the  people  with  reference  to  their  per- 
sonal salvation.  "I  went  into  a  home  with  sand  on 
the  floor  instead  of  carpet,"  he  writes,  "where 
thirty-seven  children  and  grandchildren  were  gath- 
ered. In  one  home  I  baptized  the  entire  family, 
receiving  the  father  and  mother  into  the  church. 
The  condition  of  another  family  was  distressing  in 
the  extreme.  All  the  furniture  that  I  could  see  was 
two  beds  and  two  chairs.  The  mother  was  pale 
with  consumption,  a  child  of  three  stood  clinging  to 
her  lap  and  a  girl  of  nine  stood  at  the  window, 
bearing  all  the  evidences  of  having  contracted  the 
same  dread  disease.  In  another  home  we  found 
the  mother  propped  up  in  her  chair,  her  children 
gathered  about  her,  her  neighbors  giving  her 
things  to  eat,  with  not  one  cent  for  medicine. 
We  helped  them  as  far  as  we  were  able.  So  we 
visited,  so  we  worked.  I  wish  you  could  have  heard 
some  of  the  prayers  the  converts  made,  as  they 
pleaded  with  God  for  forgiveness  for  the  past  and 
light  for  the  future.  They  came  from  hearts  that 
liad  been  touched  by  the  Spirit  of  God." 

Another  experience  from  the  diary  of  a  Sunday- 
school  missionary  who  labors  on  the  western  prairie 
among  newcomers  shows  how  helpfully  his  energies 
are  expended  in  behalf  of  those  who  would  be  ut- 
terly neglected  without  his  pastoral  care:  "Some 
kind  friend?  who  are  very  much  interested  in  the 
missionary  work  in  North  Dakota  presented  us  with 


142    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

a  good,  young  horse  and  a  new  buggy,  which  have 
proven  a  great  blessing  to  us,  helping  us  to  reach 
many  people  without  the  expense  of  livery  rigs — 
people  who  are  so  isolated  that  they  never  see  a 
minister  or  hear  a  gospel  song.  We  believe  this 
gift  is  a  direct  answer  to  prayer.  We  drove  sixteen 
miles  one  afternoon  to  visit  one  of  the  homes, 
where  we  found  the  mother  and  four  bright 
little  girls.  The  baby  organ  was  a  wonder  to  them. 
We  sang  gospel  songs,  read  the  fourteenth  chapter 
of  John  and  prayed  with  them,  and  before  we  left 
we  taught  the  little  girls  the  song,  'All  the  Way  to 
Calvary.'  We  gave  each  child  a  Testament.  As 
we  started  away  the  mother  cried  and  said,  'We  will 
never  forget  your  visit ;  won't  you  come  again,' 
Since  then  we  have  been  sending  them  our  little 
missionary  magazine,  which  I  am  sure  they  enjoy 
very  much.  The  next  day  we  drove  ten  miles  in  the 
opposite  direction,  to  visit"  another  neglected  fam- 
ily living  in  a  sod  house.  We  spent  the  night  with 
them.  In  the  evening  after  the  men  had  come  in 
from  their  work,  we  sang  and  read  the  Scripture, 
and  all  kneeled  end  asked  our  heavenly  Father's 
protection  and  care." 

We  should  remember  that  the  people  thus  reached 
are  by  no  means  inferior.  Many  of  them  can  look 
back  upon  days  when  the  Church  and  its  services 
held  a  large  place  in  their  lives.  Their  present  con- 
dition is  simply  due  to  lack  of  opportunity,  an  ^. 
with  no  restraining  influences  it  becomes  a  very 
easy  matter  to  yield  to  the  temptation  to  put  away 


Wayside  Evangelism  143 

the  teachings  and  practices  of  earlier  years.  It  is 
because  of  the  lack  of  any  standard.  The  coming 
of  the  Sunday-school  missionary  and  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Sunday  school  establishes  the  gospel 
ideal.  Under  the  influence  of  the  study  of  the  Word 
the  backslider  frequently  is  reclaimed.  A  Montana 
missionary  gives  us  an  illustration  of  this  in  writ- 
ing about  a  visit  to  a  remote  district  into  which  a 
number  of  new  families  had  moved,  where  he  was 
making  a  canvass  with  the  hope  of  planting  a  little 
Sunday  school.  Calling  on  a  Sunday  morning  at 
the  home  of  a  middle-aged  couple  who  had  recently 
come  from  an  eastern  state,  he  found  the  wife  quite 
willing  to  help  in  maintaining  a  Sunday  school. 
"We  have  always  been  religious  people,"  she  said, 
but  the  missionary  noticed  that  she  seemed  rather 
uneasy.  Upon  inquiring  for  her  husband  he  learned 
that  he  was  out  at  work  on  the  farm. 

"My  husband  is  working  to-day  for  the  first 
time  on  the  Sabbath,"  she  began  to  explain,  "but 
he  doesn't  like  it  a  bit.  He  is  up  the  gulch  there, 
around  that  point.  I  wish  you  would  go  and  see 
him."  When  the  missionary  went  out  and  intro- 
duced himself  a  few  minutes  later,  the  man  literally 
wilted,  and  sat  down  on  a  rock,  his  face  covered 
with  shame.  Finally,  he  looked  up  and  said, 
"Brother,  I  am  ashamed  of  myself ;  I  hate  this  Sun- 
day work."  Then  he  looked  down  and  said  thought- 
fully :  "What  is  a  fellow  going  to  do  when  he  can't 
get  a  job  unless  he  works  on  Sunday?  I'll  give  you 
fifty  dollars  if  you  will  tell  me  where  I  can  get  a 


144    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

job  at  carpentering  without  being  compelled  to  work 
on  Sunday.  Well,  no,  I  can't  afford  that  much, 
either,  but  I  would  like  to  get  work  somehow.  I 
have  been  unhappy  all  the  morning,  just  miserable; 
this  is  the  first  time  I  ever  worked  on  Sunday;  I 
think  it  will  be  the  last,  too." 

He  could  not  attend  the  service  that  was  held 
that  afternoon,  but  his  wife  was  present,  and  she 
was  elected  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  schoo!. 
The  next  week  the  husband  wrote  to  the  mission- 
ary ;  "I  worked  only  the  Sunday  you  saw  me ; 
however,  I  had  to  quit  the  work  I  had,  as  they 
kept  no  one  except  those  who  can  work  on  Sundays. 
Yet  I  am  proud  to  say  that  the  loss  is  gained  in  an- 
other way,  for  I  have  the  proud  honor  of  being 
teacher  in  the  senior  class  of  the  school." 

Another  frontier  missionary  was  stopping  over 
night  at  a  ranch  house  where  he  met  "Rattlesnake 
Joe,"  who  has  figured  quite  prominently  as  the  hero 
in  recent  novels  dealing  with  western  life.  When 
the  missionary  first  met  him  he  was  leading  a  dance 
at  the  ranch  house.  The  next  morning  the  mis- 
sionary engaged  him  in  conversation  and  gradually 
turned  his  thoughts  toward  spiritual  matters.  At 
Joe's  request  the  missionary  wrote  the  Lord's 
Prayer  on  a  slip  of  paper  and  handed  it  to  him. 
Joe  read  it  carefully  two  or  three  times,  then  turn- 
ing to  the  missionary,  said,  "That's  pretty  fine  lan- 
guage, must  have  been  written  by  an  eastern  dude." 
(All  eastern  tourists  are  designated  by  the  ranch- 
men in  this  country  as  dudes.)    "Yes,"  the  mission- 


Wayside  Evangelism  145 

ary  replied,  "it  was  written  in  the  far  east.  It  is 
the  prayer  of  our  Blessed  Lord.  Come  to  the  school 
on  the  Sabbath  Day,  I  have  something  that  I  want 
to  tell  you  about,  the  One  who  gave  us  this  prayer," 
Rattlesnake  Joe  was  there,  with  many  of  the  boys 
from  the  round-up. 

Who  can  say  what  may  be  the  result  of  this  word 
spoken  to  one  who  had  wandered  far  from  God 
and  from  the  teachings  of  his  boyhood  home?  The 
direct  results  of  such  service  as  this  are  seldom 
seen,  but  the  fruitage  will  appear  in  days  to  come 
and  in  ways  that  bring  blessing  to  many. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  phases  of  this  serv- 
ice is  seen  in  connection  with  the  lumber  camps  of 
the  Northwest.  As  the  missionary  talks  to  the  men 
gathered  around  the  bunk-house  stove  after  the 
day's  toil  is  over,  he  finds  earnest  listeners  and  seek- 
ers after  truth.  The  missionary's  words  bring  back 
sacred  and  tender  memories  of  saintly  parents ;  and 
the  Christian  teachings  of  other  days,  from  which 
they  have  long  been  separated.  Many  have  been 
brought  under  deep  conviction,  confessing  their  sins 
and  resolving  with  God's  help  to  lead  sober,  Chris- 
tian lives. 

"In  one  of  the  large  lumber  camps  I  visited," 
writes  a  Sunday-school  missionary,  "it  was  my  un- 
usual privilege  to  persuade  the  'boys'  to  give  up  the 
Saturday  night  dance,  so  that  the  late  hours  would 
not  interfere  with  the  Sunday  service.  I  make  bold 
to  say  that  this  indeed  is  a  rare  instance  of  self- 
abnegation,  especially  in  the  woods  of  Idaho,  where 


146    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

dancing  is  the  'rage'  and  the  only  recreation.  And 
yet  this  sacrifice  is  easily  accounted  for  in  their 
desire  to  hear  the  gospel.  It  did  one  good  to  see 
these  hardy  men  of  the  forest  take  their  lanterns 
that  night  and  trudge  through  the  woods  in  slush 
and  mud  to  tell  the  'fiddlers'  not  to  come  to  the  hall, 
as  there  was  going  to  be  preachin'  to-morrow.  And 
a  crowd  was  there  on  the  morrow !  All  the  benches 
of  the  mess  house  were  taken  to  the  hall.  It  was 
filled  to  overflowing,  many  looking  in  through  the 
windows.  It  was  indeed  a  red-letter  day  for  the 
women  and  children  of  the  camp,  for  a  Sunday 
school  was  organized  and  the  jacks,  or  the  "bo- 
hunks,"  as  they  are  called,  bought  and  paid  for  the 
Sunday-school  hymn  books  that  night.  Oh,  how 
great  is  the  need  of  the  Sunday  school  in  this  camp 
and  scores  of  others  just  like  it !  I  wish  that  I  could 
minister  to  such  places  more  often. 

"During  my  last  visit  at  the  camp,  the  'boys'  told 
me  of  a  Massachusetts  man  only  three  days  out 
who  had  gotten  seriously  hurt  in  the  woods.  'You 
had  better  "talk"  with  him,'  they  said,  'as  the  doc- 
tors have  given  him  up.'  Going  up  to  the  young 
man's  bunk  house  the  next  morning,  I  was  glad  to 
be  apprised  before  entering  that  the  doctors  enter- 
tained hopes  of  his  recovery.  After  greeting  the 
young  fellow  I  asked  him,  after  a  few  moments' 
conversation,  if  he  would  not  like  to  have  me  write 
to  his  folks  in  the  East.  'No,  no,'  he  said.  'Surely 
I'm  not  going  to  die.'  'No,'  I  said,  'I  have  been 
given  every  assurance  before  I  came  in  that  you 


Wayside  Evangelism  147 

will  recover,  and  yet  don't  you  think  you  ought  to 
tell  your  folks  about  your  sickness?'  *No/  he  re- 
plied, and  in  this  I  saw  he  was  obdurate.  'Well,' 
I  said,  'how  would  you  like  me  to  read  the  Bible 
and  pray  with  you?'  'Well,  I  won't  mind  that  at 
all,'  he  said.    'Just  go  to  it'  " 

What  are  the  rewards  of  such  service?  Here 
are  some  extracts  from  letters  received  by  one  of 
the  missionaries  engaged  in  this  work:  "Dear 
Brother  in  Christ,  I  do  not  think  that  I  have  ever 
spent  a  week  any  happier  than  the  one  just  passed. 
Of  course  some  of  the  old  temptations  arise,  but  I 
have  labored  hard  against  them  and  it  is  getting 
easier  all  the  while  to  down  them.  Have  not  seen 
Florence  (another  convert,  a  girl  of  eighteen  who  is 
laboring  hard  to  live  the  Christ  life  alone  in  a  fam- 
ily of  fourteen)  this  week  but  have  prayed  that 
God  would  strengthen  and  keep  her,  for  the  poor 
girl  has  a  hard  row  to  hoe.  Am  longing  for  your 
return.  I  pray  God  to  help  me  to  be  a  help  to  you 
here  and  to  fight  the  'licker  traffic' "  This  came 
from  a  young  man  of  twenty-five,  living  among 
stock  men  and  sheep  men.  Pray  for  him.  A 
mother  of  eleven  children  writes,  "I  feel  as  if  I  can 
sing  for  a  month  since  you  came  here."  From  an- 
other, "Thank  you  so  much  for  the  gospel  you 
brought  us." 

The  faithful,  heroic  men  who  are  engaged  in  this 
service,  find  joy  in  this  wayside  ministry  to  the  out- 
cast, the  neglected,  the  destitute,  because  of  the  con- 
sciousness that  somewhere  the  precious  seed  they 


148    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

are  sowing  will  spring  forth  into  bountiful  harvests. 
From  the  standpoint  of  statistics,  such  work  is 
discouraging,  at  times  and  the  man  who  is  zealous 
for  a  record  may  become  disheartened,  but  to  the 
brave  soul  who  is  willing  to  endure  the  hardship  and 
isolation,  sharing  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  these 
marginal  peoples,  it  is  a  service  that  brings  a  con- 
stant supply  of  spiritual  refreshment  and  power. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  EXTENSION 


The  first   Children's  Day  in  a  town  five  years  old  where  the  Sunday  school 

is  the  only  religious  influence. 
A  Sunday  school  fifty  miles  from  a  railroad,  which  meets  in  a  claim  shanty. 
The  entire  community  looks  to  this  Sunday  school  to  uphold  the  standard 

of  Christian  living. 
One  of  our  Sunday-school  Chapels  in  Idaho.     An  entire  valley  taken  for  Christ 

through    the    work    of    rural  Sunday  schools. 


CHAPTER  IX 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  EXTENSION 

In  the  foregoing  chapters  the  rural  Sunday  school 
has  been  referred  to  as  the  material  from  which 
many  valuable  by-products  are  obtained.  In  ap- 
plying the  efficiency  test  we  have  found  that  the 
success  of  the  rural  Sunday  school  is  not  measured 
by  its  possibilities  of  growth  into  a  church  organ- 
ization, desirable  as  that  may  be.  The  experience 
of  those  who  have  been  in  closest  touch  with  rural 
Sunday-school  work  proves  that  some  of  the  best 
results,  from  a  spiritual  viewpoint,  have  been  pro- 
duced through  the  work  of  Sunday  schools  situ- 
ated in  places  where  church  organizations  would  be 
impracticable.  Neither  do  the  instances  recorded 
in  these  chapters  necessarily  apply  to  Sunday 
schools  that  have  had  a  permanent  existence. 
The  aim  has  been  to  show  the  value  of  Bible 
study  and  teaching,  even  under  conditions  that 
would  seem  to  many  to  be  inimical  to  the  at- 
tainment of  results  that  would  be  of  any  real  and 
permanent  value.  The  crude  surroundings,  the 
meager  equipment,  the  untrained  leadership,  the  op- 
position of  the  forces  of  sin,  the  discouragement  of 
small  numbers,  frequently  make  the  possibilities  of 
the  rural  Sunday  school  most  unpromising,  and  yet, 
despite  such  hindrances,  effective  work  has  been 
done  in  developing  the  highest  form  of  Christian 
character. 

151 


152    By-Prodiicls  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

The  subject  resolves  itself  into  a  question  of  the 
relative  value  of  formation  and  reformation  in  the 
task  of  evolving  a  citizenship  that  is  actuated  in  all 
its  processes  by  the  Christian  motive.  While  we 
spend  our  millions  upon  reclaiming  the  lost,  shall 
we  not  exercise  the  same  if  not  greater  liberality 
in  providing  for  the  purifying  of  the  stream  at  its 
source?  Profiting  by  the  endless  task  of  reforma- 
tion we  are  learning  the  value  of  prevention.  We 
are  realizing  the  importance  of  safeguarding  the 
character  of  our  boys  and  girls  against  the  pitfalls 
and  the  dangers  that  await  them.  As  Joseph  Malins 
says : 

'Twas  a  dangerous  cliff,  as  they  freely  confessed, 

Though  to  walk  near  its  crest  was  so  pleasant ; 
But  over  its  terrible  edge  there  had  slipped 

A  duke  and  full  many  a  peasant ; 
So  the  people  said  something  would  have  to  be  done, 

But  their  projects  did  not  at  all  tally. 
Some  said,  'Tut  a  fence  round  the  edge  of  the  cliflf"  ; 

Some,  "An  ambulance  down  in  the  valley." 

But  the  cry  for  the  ambulance  carried  the  day, 

For  it  spread  through  the  neighboring  city. 
A  fence  may  be  useful  or  not,  it  is  true. 

But  each  heart  became  brimful  of  pity 
For  those  who  had  slipped  o'er  that  dangerous  cliff ; 

And  the  dwellers  in  highway  and  alley 
Gave  pounds  or  gave  pence,  not  to  put  up  a  fence, 

But  an  ambulance  down  in  the  valley. 


Sunday-school  Extemion  153 

Then  an  old  sage  remarked :  "It's  a  marvel  to  me 

That  people  give  far  more  attention 
To  repairing  results  than  to  stopping  the  cause, 

When  they'd  much  better  aim  at  prevention. 
Let  us  stop  at  its  source  all  this  mischief,"  cried  he ; 

"Come,  neighbors  and  friends,  let  us  rally: 
If  the  cliff  we  will  fence  we  might  almost  dispense 

With  the  ambulance  down  in  the  valley." 

The  fact  that  twelve  millions  of  children  and 
young  people  in  our  land  are  without  the  oppor- 
tunity of  Christian  instruction  and  training  is  one 
that  should  awaken  us  to  renewed  activity  in  send- 
ing forth  workers  who  will  win  them  to  the  study 
of  the  Word.  It  is  true  that  many  thousands  of  this 
number  may  be  found  in  our  cities,  where  the  pro- 
portion of  foreign  population  is  large.  Little  has 
been  done  in  the  way  of  an  organized,  systematic 
and  persistent  effort  to  gather  them  into  Sunday 
schools,  despite  the  well-organized  Christian  forces, 
that  are  at  work  in  the  metropolitan  centers.  Mak-' 
ing  liberal  allowance  for  this  element,  we  still  have 
from  nine  to  ten  millions  of  boys  and  girls  scattered 
throughout  the  United  States,  mainly  in  the  rural 
districts,  who  have  not  been  brought  into  Sunday 
schools.  It  is  to  will  such  that  we  must  send  forth 
our  Sunday-school  missionaries,  penetrating  the  re- 
motest parts,  and  laying  the  foundations  for  Chris- 
tian life  and  service  in  small  Sunday  schools  lo- 
cated within  convenient  distance. 


154    By-Prodiicts  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

One  who  is  familiar  with  the  situation  in  the 
South  and  Southwest,  tells  us  that  in  seven  states 
there  are  four  million  children  and  young  people 
without  Christian  opportunities.  Concerning  one 
of  the  districts  in  this  section  of  the  country,  a 
pastor  gives  us  a  more  detailed  description  of  the 
conditions.     This  is  his  statement: 

"During  the  last  thirteen  months  I  have  con- 
ducted meetings  in  ten  needy  fields,  I  mention  this 
to  show  that  I  have  gotten  fairly  close  to  the  heart 
of  the  situation  here.  I  want  to  declare  that  I 
positively  have  never  seen  anything  that  even  ap- 
proached the  urgent  need  of  work  done  by  a  Sun- 
day-school missionary  as  it  is  here.  This  is  an  old 
country ;  some  of  it  has  been  settled  for  a  hundred 
years;  nearly  all  of  the  people  are  natives.  (I  am 
speaking  of  the  rural  and  isolated  stretches.)  The 
soil  is  quite  good  and  will  grow  anything  if  worked. 
The  climate  is  good.  One  still  sees  the  farmer  here 
plowing  with  his  one  mule,  between  the  trees. 
Some  farmers  told  me  they  did  not  handle  more 
than  twenty-five  to  fifty  dollars  the  whole  year. 
Every  member  of  the  family,  in  many  instances, 
goes  barefooted  most  of  the  year.  In  one  com- 
munity where  I  conducted  some  services  I  entered 
about  twenty-five  homes,  and  in  only  four  did  I 
find  anything  but  homemade  chairs ;  none  of  the 
houses  had  paint.  The  public  schools  are  few  and 
of  little  consequence.  The  day  that  my  meeting 
began  a  Baptist  brother  closed  one  in  the  small 
schoolhouse.    The  good  man  actually  could  not  read 


Sunday-school   Extension  155 

the  Scriptures  in  public,  so  illiterate  was  he.  Yet, 
to  use  his  words,  'They  had  been  swimming  in 
glory  for  a  week.'  The  only  light  we  had  in  the 
schoolhouse  was  one  gasoline  torch.  There  were 
always  twice  as  many  people  present  as  the  house 
would  hold.  Their  religion  runs  to  extreme  emo- 
tionalism ;  still  they  listen  with  great  earnestness  to 
a  man  who,  as  they  say,  'can  learn  them  some- 
thing.' " 

Commenting  upon  these  conditions  of  Sunday- 
school  destitution,  extending  over  eleven  southern 
slates,  one  of  our  field  superintendents  who  has 
made  a  careful  study  of  the  situation  writes: 

"A  part  of  these  figures  represents  those  having 
privileges  not  appreciated,  though  by  far  the  larger 
part  is  that  of  absolute  destitution,  because  of  lack 
of  Sunday-school  organizations,  representing  those 
needy  and  neglected  communities  that  are  lacking 
in  Bible  instruction  and  the  systematic  opening  of 
the  Word  on  the  Sabbath.  Nearly  all  classes  of 
people  are  represented  in  these  needy  districts — 
the  mountain  and  hill  people,  the  poor  tenantry  of 
the  plantations,  the  lumber-mill  families,  the  home- 
steaders and  the  mining  population.  .  .  .  There 
is  a  district  in  middle  Tennessee,  comprising  some 
ten  counties,  in  which  there  are  practically  no  Pres- 
byterian churches,  where  nothing  is  being  done  by 
any  denomination  in  planting  Sunday  schools  among 
those  destitute  of  gospel  privileges." 

The  mountain  districts  in  themselves  present  a 
most  needy  field  for  Sunday-school  work.    There  are 


156    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

more  than  a  million  hoys  and  girls  living  in  the 
mountains  of  the  South  who  are  ignorant  of  the 
Bible  and  its  teachings.  In  eighteen  mountain  coun- 
ties, covering  6,692  square  miles,  with  a  population 
of  250,000,  there  is  but  one  Sunday  school  to  each 
1,200  inhabitants.  The  total  Sunday-school  enroll- 
ment is  14,000,  less  than  six  per  cent  of  the  popula- 
tion. In  some  counties  there  are  but  one  or  two 
educated  ministers. 

In  many  places  the  people  are  without  any  reli- 
gious services.  Many  villages  and  communities  are 
without  a  church  of  any  denomination ;  no  Sunday 
school,  prayer  meeting  or  other  religious  influences 
of  any  kind.  Another  great  misfortune  suffered  by 
this  section  is  the  fact  that  the  most  promising 
young  men  who  are  called  into  the  ministry  are 
forced  to  go  elsewhere  for  an  education,  and  when 
they  are  equipped  for  their  life  work  they  almost 
invariably  accept  a  call  to  some  other  field.  Many 
of  them  to-day  are  occupying  important  pulpits  in 
city  churches.  The  result  is  that  the  cause  of  reli- 
gion among  the  mountaineers  suffers  for  the  lack 
of  men  who  are  able  to  bring  things  to  pass.  This 
mountain  country  has  been  furnishing  pastors  and 
business  men  for  the  larger  towns  and  cities,  and 
receiving  little  in  return.  If  the  churches  really 
understood  the  situation  they  would  put  more  men 
and  money  into  this  field. 

The  mountaineers  are  very  susceptible  to  gospel 
influences,  and  very  emotional  in  their  worship.  A 
sermon,  to  be  enjoyed  by  them,  must  appeal  to  their 


Sunday-school   Extension  157 

emotional  nature  =  The  preachftr  who  does  not  ciy 
as  he  talks,  occasionally  at  least,  and  the  church 
member  that  does  not  shout  during  the  "revival 
meeting"  have  little  or  no  religion,  in  their  esti- 
mation. 

Most  of  these  native  preachers  serve  without 
compensation,  some  receive  from  fifty  cents  to  a 
dollar  a  month.  They  do  no  pastoral  work  and,  as 
they  are  obliged  to  labor  during  the  week  to  sus- 
tain their  families,  they  naturally  are  able  to  do  very 
little  in  developing  the  various  departments  of  reli- 
gious activity  which  are  usually  associated  with  the 
church.  At  least  fifty  per  cent  of  these  primitive 
mountain  congregations  do  not  have  Sunday 
schools.  This  is  a  district  which  promises  an  abun- 
dant harvest  from  the  seed-sowing  of  the  Sunday- 
school  missionary. 

Another  inviting  field  confronts  us  among  the 
southern  negroes.  Only  one  negro  child  out  of 
every  ten  is  enrolled  in  Sunday  school.  Thirteen 
negro  Sunday-school  missionaries  are  engaged  in 
planting  and  sustaining  Sunday  schools  in  ten 
states.  Two  of  these  field  workers  give  their  at- 
tention largely  to  Sunday-school  development  work, 
assisting  in  the  holding  of  institutes,  conferences 
and  schools  of  method  in  connection  with  the  day 
schools  under  the  care  of  the  Freedmen's  Board.  In 
these  day  schools  there  are  about  sixteen  thousand 
pupils,  many  of  whom  will  go  out  as  teachers  of 
negro  district  schools  in  all  parts  of  the  South. 
Therefore  the  importance  of  training  these  young 


158    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

people  for  intelligent  and  aggressive  Sunday-school 
work  may  well  be  emphasized.  It  is  our  aim  so  to 
instruct  them  with  reference  to  the  best  plans  and 
methods  of  Sunday-school  organization  and  work, 
that  they  will  not  only  be  zealous  for  the  Sun- 
day school  wherever  they  may  go  to  enter  upon 
their  life  work,  but  capable,  also,  of  conducting  a 
Sunday  school  in  an  efficient  manner. 

Experience  has  taught  us  that  the  most  effective 
way  of  reaching  the  negro  boys  and  girls  is  through 
the  Sunday  school.  If  we  help  the  negro  we  must 
begin  with  the  boys  and  girls.  They  must  be  in- 
structed in  the  fundamentals  of  Christianity;  they 
must  be  taught  the  true  meaning  of  religion,  and 
its  precepts  must  find  an  entrance  into  their  hearts. 
They  must  be  taught  the  value  of  character  and 
their  individual  responsibility  to  God.  How  much 
better  it  is  to  save  the  negro  boy  and  girl  by  such 
a  course  of  teaching  than  to  spend  our  money  upon 
institutions  for  reforming  them  after  they  have 
growm  to  maturity ! 

The  negro  Sunday-school  missionaries  have  about 
four  hundred  mission  Sunday  schools  under  their 
care,  in  which  about  twelve  thousand  negro  pupils 
are  enrolled.  They  are  constantly  adding  to  this 
number  by  organizing  new  Sunday  schools  in  needy 
places.  When  we  consider  that  this  represents  prac- 
tically all  the  Christian  training  w^hich  these  chil- 
dren receive,  we  can  appreciate  the  value  of  such 
work  and  its  effect  upon  the  future  of  the  negro 
race. 


Sunday-school  Extension  159 

To  relate  the  many  interesting  incidents  con- 
nected with  this  work,  showing  how  neighborhoods 
have  been  transformed,  Httle  Sunday  schools  be- 
coming permanent  centers  of  Christian  influence 
and  souls  born  into  newness  of  life,  would  require 
many  pages,  but  it  would  form  a  chapter  of  thrilling 
missionary  information.  One  negro  Sunday-school 
missionary  in  Georgia  reports  seven  Presbyterian 
churches  and  a  large  day  school  as  one  outgrowth 
of  Sunday  schools  organized  during  the  past  eight 
years. 

But  we  have  only  scratched  the  surface  thus  far. 
Alabama  and  Mississippi  each  have  but  one  negro 
Sunday-school  missionary ;  Kentucky  has  a  large 
negro  population  almost  completely  neglected  reli- 
giously, to  whom  a  Sunday-school  missionary 
should  be  sent.  Our  force  of  negro  workers  should 
speedily  be  doubled. 

The  western  states  also  are  rich  with  opportun- 
ities for  this  kind  of  pioneer  service.  Great  stretches 
of  country  far  removed  from  the  railroads  are  peo- 
pled here  and  there  by  families  who  have  been  at- 
tracted by  the  possibilities  of  extended  agricultural 
development  through  irrigation  enterprises ;  others 
are  trying  the  dry  farming  "experiment"  and  many 
others  are  engaged  in  the  mining  and  lumber  in- 
dustries. One  Sunday-school  missionary,  located 
in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  of  California,  has  been 
endeavoring  to  meet  the  need  of  that  district,  which 
is  as  large  as  the  entire  State  of  Indiana.  He  de- 
scribes a  situation  which  should  fill  the  Church  of 


160    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

Christ  with  a  burning  zeal  to  furnish  the  means  to 
support  workers  who  could  plant  scores  of  Sunday 
schools.  These  schools  would  become  centers  of 
Christian  influence  for  the  youths  who  are  living 
there  and  who  are  now  without  any  one  to  provide 
for  their  spiritual  needs. 

"Along  the  southwestern  part  of  the  valley  bor- 
dering the  Coast  ranges  for  over  one  hundred  miles 
lie  the  greatest  oil-producing  fields  in  the  world," 
the  missionary  writes.  "They  carry  a  migrating 
population  of  from  twenty  to  thirty-five  thousand 
people.  This  I  consider  the  greatest  and  most  neg- 
lected mission  field  in  the  West.  The  valley  proper 
is  about  two  hundred  miles  long  and  one  hundred 
miles  wide — level  and  fertile,  the  greatest  irriga- 
tion region  in  America — the  Eldorado  of  intensive 
farming.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres  are  being 
brought  under  irrigation  every  year.  New  towns  by 
the  score  are  being  settled.  It  is  estimated  that 
about  fifty  thousand  people  came  into  this  valley 
last  year,  to  make  homes  for  themselves,  and  the 
tide  is  rapidly  rising.  Recently  the  great  Chow- 
chilla  Ranch  of  one  hundred  and  eight  thousand 
acres  was  thrown  open  to  settlement  by  a  big  east- 
em  syndicate.  Special  trains  were  run  from  Los 
Angeles,  Fresno,  Stockton  and  Sacramento,  and 
over  three  thousand  people  were  on  the  ground. 
A  new  town  is  laid  out,  streets  graded,  sidewalks 
laid  and  everything  ready  for  business  and  business 
is  already  there.  In  five  years  it  will  be  a  little 
city. 


Sunday-schoul  Extension  161 

"The  whole  floor  of  the  valley  is  beginning  to 
teem  with  new  life.  Cities  and  towns  and  new 
rural  communities  are  springing  up  with  magical 
swiftness.  It  is  the  land  of  specialized  farming, 
where  a  few  acres  will  sustain  a  family.  It  is  in- 
creasing in  population  so  rapidly  that  your  mission- 
ary is  utterly  unable  to  keep  track  of  the  new  com- 
munities, much  less  to  organize  them  in  religious 
work.  This  valley  alone  will  easily  sustain  five 
million  people  and  feed  five  million  more  when  it 
is  all  brought  under  intensive  cultivation.  This 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  foothills  and  moun- 
tains have  innumerable  little  hamlets  untouched  by 
the  gospel.  Children  are  growing  to  maturity  here 
without  ever  seeing  a  minister  or  hearing  a  sermon, 

"I  have  been  traveling  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles  a  month  and  have  not  yet  gotten  over 
all  my  field.  So  you  see  that  the  first  Sunday 
schools  that  I  organized  will  have  children  in  the 
primary  grade,  who  were  born  since  I  organized  the 
Sunday  school,  before  I  can  get  around  to  visit  the 
school  again.  Talk  about  'circuit  riding'  in  the  pio- 
neer days  of  the  Middle  West !  Why,  the  Sunday- 
school  missionary  in  southern  California  has  them 
all  beaten.  I  take  the  railroad  as  far  as  it  goes, 
then  the  stage  as  far  as  it  reaches,  then  the  pack 
train  as  far  as  it  goes,  and  finally  I  take  to  my  heels 
for  the  rest  of  the  journey.  And  there  is  much  heel 
work  both  on  the  plains  and  in  the  mountains." 


162     By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

Five  Sunday-school  missionaries  should  be  placed 
in  this  field  to  overtake  the  immediate,  pressing 
need. 

The  Northwest  also  is  experiencing  extensive  de- 
velopment and  here,  too,  a  force  of  efficient  Sunday- 
school  workers  should  be  placed  to  provide  for  the 
needs  of  the  newcomers.  A  Sunday-school  mission- 
ary, who  planted  twenty-two  Sunday  schools  in  one 
year,  in  one  part  of  his  field  in  eastern  Washing- 
ton, writes : 

"My  work  calls  me  into  the  remote  and  outlying 
districts  sometimes  ten,  fifty,  one  hundred  miles 
away  from  the  railways  and  beaten  paths.  It  calls 
me  into  communities  where  the  preacher  and  his 
nfessage  have  not  been  heard  for  years,  where  chil- 
dren stand  in  wonder  at  the  preacher  'talking  to  his 
plate'  (saying  grace)  before  meals;  where  boys  and 
girls  in  their  teens  have  come  to  attend  the  Sunday 
school  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives ;  where  young 
men  and  women  have  lived  in  their  canons  all  their 
lives  without  ambition  enough  to  discover  what  lies 
beyond  their  circumscribed  horizon ;  where  boys  and 
girls  are  living  absolutely  destitute  of  all  religious 
and  moral  training,  and  succumbing  to  immorality, 
vice  and  shame." 

A  recent  survey  of  a  similar  district  in  Oregon 
revealed  the  fact  that  in  a  territory  covering  one 
whole  country  of  ten  thousand  six  hundred  square 
miles  and  two-thirds  of  the  adjoining  county  to  the 
east,  with  an  additional  area  of  six  thousand  square 
miles  and  an  approximate  population  of  eight  thou- 


Sunday-school  Extension  163 

sand  people,  there  is  but  one  Protestant  minister. 
Pie  is  supplying  the  only  Presbyterian  church  in  this 
district,  and  is  located  in  a  town  of  less  than  one 
thousand  population.  Only  one  other  Protestant 
church,  and  that  vacant,  is  situated  in  the  same 
towa  Aside  from  three  rural  points  where  small 
Sunday  schools  are  being  maintained  with  a  small 
enrollment  in  each,  no  other  form  of  religious  work 
is  carried  on — the  large  majority  are  scattered  over 
this  vast  interior  region  neglected  by  the  churches. 
So  far  as  the  people  themselves  are  concerned,  the 
great  majority  of  them  are  as  well  educated,  as 
refined  in  their  moral  tastes,  and  just  as  deserving 
of  spiritual  attention  as  people  anywhere  else  in 
this  western  country. 

Montana,  the  third  larger  state  in  the  Union,  is 
sharing  in  the  great  developments  that  are  taking 
place.  One  of  the  large  railroad  systems  has  sur- 
veyed the  line  of  an  extension,  the  construction  of 
which  has  already  begun.  Twenty  new  town  sites 
have  been  plotted,  and  it  is  predicted  that  within 
a  brief  period  ea.ch  wall  have  a  population  oi 
from  three  to  five  thousand  persons.  This  branch 
road  pierces  a  rich  agricultural  and  stock-raising 
district  where  material  prosperity  will  be  the  certain 
reward  of  the  pioneer. 

In  the  Rocky  Mountain  states  also  the  new  set- 
tler finds  inviting  opportunities.  In  a  recent  issue 
©f  a  Denver  daily  newspaper  the  following  an- 
nouncement appeared : 


164    By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

HOMESEEKERS  RUSH 
TO  COLORADO  FOR 
BIG  LAND  BARGAIN 

Offering  of  3,000,000  Acres  of  School  Lands  Under 
Easy  Conditions  Draws  Attention  of  the  Nation  and 
State  Register  Hoggatt  Is  Swamped  With  Applica- 
tions of  Earnest  Settlers— Great  Influx  Soon. 

In  one  large  county  in  Colorado,  we  are  told 
that  there  is  but  one  Protestant  minister.  There 
are  twenty-eight  school  districts  in  this  county,  and 
in  only  five  of  them  is  any  attempt  being  made  to 
carry  on  any  religious  work. 

With  these  glimpses  of  the  vast  field  that  lies 
before  us,  let  us  consider  how  we  may  provide  for 
its  most  pressing  need.  These  districts  cannot  sup- 
part  churches  or  pastors.  Yet  the  Church  is  under 
obligation  to  help  fehem  by  giving  them  that  form 
of  Christian  influence  which  every  community  can 
sustain ;  namely,  the  Sunday  school.  It  will  be  a 
misfortune,  indeed,  if  the  Church's  vision  of  world- 
wide missions  becomes  so  broad  as  to  overlook  these 
great  needs  at  home,  while  providing  liberally  for 
needs  afar  off.  It  will  be  a  great  spiritual  loss  also 
if  the  Church's  missionary  outlook  should  become 
so  contracted  as  to  regard  lightly  the  needs  of  the 


Sunday-school  Extension  165 

rural  population  in  our  own  land,  too  poor  in  many 
cases,  and  too  widely  scattered,  to  promise  much  in 
the  direction  of  church  organizations,  but  whose 
spiritual  necessities  are  greater,  on  that  account.  It 
is  incumbent  upon  us  to  establish  within  their  reach 
such  Christian  agencies  as  are  best  adapted  to  their 
condition  and  circumstances ;  and  this  can  most  ef- 
fectively be  accomplished  through  the  establish- 
ment of  Sunday  schools.  The  gratifying  results 
of  years  of  such  service  in  behalf  of  similar  neigh- 
borhoods elsewhere  and  a  consideration  of  the  by- 
products of  these  labors,  should  furnish  convincing 
proof  of  the  value  of  the  little  Sunday  school  as  an 
indispensable  factor  in  accomplishing  the  Church's 
mission  to  evangelize  the  homeland. 

There  is  no  danger  of  overchurching  these 
districts,  because  practically  nothing  has  been  done 
to  provide  the  means  of  grace  for  them.  There  may 
be  no  immediate  prospect  of  organizing  a  church  in 
many  of  these  places  and  the  attempt  to  do  so 
would.  In  the  majority  of  cases,  result  in  defeat. 
For  this  reason  these  outlying  districts  are  not 
reached  by  the  home-mission  pastor.  The  Sunday 
school,  however,  appeals  to  them  because  it  requires 
no  subscription  to  a  denominational  creed  or  form 
of  government,  but  holds  before  them  the  advan- 
tages of  regular  Bible  study  for  the  children  and 
adults  as  well.  Thus  it  acts  as  a  unifying  force, 
bringing  the  people  together  for  a  common  purpose. 

All  the  denominations  are  realizing  as  never  be- 
fore the  necessity  of  extending  this  phase  of  their 


166     By-Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

Sunday-school  work,  and  they  are  making  earnest 
appeals  to  their  churches  to  support  a  larger  force 
of  missionaries. 

More  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  experience 
upon  the  part  of  our  Sunday-school  Board  in  this 
pioneer  work  and  the  gratifying  results  that  have  ac- 
crued to  the  Presbyterian  Church  through  these  ef- 
forts have  vindicated  the  wisdom  of  the  policy  that 
has  been  pursued. 

Time,  money  and  energy  have  been  conserved, 
and  the  work  has  been  established  upon  an  efficient 
and  permanent  basis.  The  agent  of  an  undenom- 
inational enterprise,  however  worthy  its  object  may 
be,  is  always  at  a  disadvantage.  He  lacks  the  back- 
ing of  the  organized  forces  of  a  denomination  which 
is  prepared  to  furnish  equipment,  aid  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  work,  assist  in  providing  a  house  of 
worship,  give  it  pastoral  care  and  make  it  a  part 
of  the  great  body  of  believers  who  form  its  commun- 
ion. Denominational  cooperation  and  support  ac- 
count largely  for  the  success  of  Presbyterian  Sun- 
day-school missionary  work.  The  Sunday-school 
missionary  is  being  looked  upon  more  and  more  as 
an  indispensable  field  worker,  if  our  Church  is  to 
continue  to  be  an  aggressive  force  for  the  extension 
of  Christ's  kingdom  in  America. 

If  we  are  going  to  do  this  work  among  the  rural 
people  it  must  be  done  through  the  Sunday  school ; 
it  must  be  done  by  a  representative  of  our  own  de- 
nomination who  goes  forth  with  presbyterial  sanc- 
tion and  cooperation ;  it  must  be  done  with  a  true 


Sunday-school   Extension  167 

missionary'  spirit,  which  has  for  its  motive  only  obe- 
dience to  the  divine  commission  to  give  the  gospel 
to  all  who  need  it.  The  returns  may  not  be  imme- 
diate, and  discouragements  may  lie  by  the  way,  but 
we  go  forward  in  the  strength  of  the  promises  of 
God,  concerning  his  Word ;  and  such  faith  is  never 
disappointed.  It  is  only  as  we  go  on  faithfully 
sowing  that  we  may  expect  harvests  to  be  garnered 
for  the  King. 

It  should  be  emphasized  also  that  this  is  a  work 
which,  although  closely  related  to  the  other  benev- 
olent agencies  of  the  Church,  stands  alone  in  its 
distinctive  aim  and  purpose.  Home  mission  boards 
were  carrying  on  their  splendid  work  for  gener- 
ations before  our  Church  inaugurated  Sunday- 
school  missions,  taking  the  gospel  to  thousands  of 
persons  in  localities  where  churches  could  be  organ- 
ized, and  helping  to  sustain  pastors  for  them,  but 
no  attempt  was  made  to  provide  for  the  religious 
welfare  of  the  multitude  of  boys  and  girls  who  were 
living  in  remote  parts.  The  placing  of  the  ban 
upon  religious  instruction,  and  even  upon  Bible 
reading,  in  the  public  schools,  together  with  the  de- 
cline in  family  religion,  made  the  problem  of  char- 
acter development  among  our  youth  one  to  which 
the  Church  was  forced  to  give  serious  attention. 
To  meet  this  situation  the  Presbyterian  Church  re- 
organized its  Board  of  Publication  and  Sabbath- 
School  Work,  making  the  work  of  caring  for  the 
religious  nurture  of  America's  youth  its  chief  con- 
cern.   From  year  to  year  this  Board  has  developed 


168    By~Products  of  the  Rural  Sunday  School 

this  work  as  a  distiticti'^''e  missionary  enterprise,  pre- 
senting to  the  Church  the  appeal  of  the  needy  chil- 
dren, of  whom  our  Saviour  said  it  was  not  the  will 
of  the  Father  that  one  should  perish.  It  has  not 
dealt  with  churches,  but  with  the  unchurched  re- 
gions where  Christian  privileges  are  lacking.  In 
recent  years  the  work  has  broadened  to  include 
efforts  looking  toward  the  betterment  of  the  Sunday 
schools  already  organized. 

We  are  not  reaching  these  schools  by  correspond- 
ence, but  we  are  dealing  with  them  at  close  range. 
In  visiting  Sunday  schools  our  field  workers  do  not 
leave  without  having  a  conference  with  the  officers 
and  teachers,  leading  them  up,  by  degrees,  to  a 
higher  standard.  They  show  them  how  they  may 
have  a  Cradle  Roll,  a  Home  Department  an  adult 
class  and  even  a  teacher-training  class.  Some- 
times they  teach  a  specimen  lesson  from  the  teacher- 
training  textbook.  Thus  they  inspire  enthusiasm 
for  these  improvements,  which,  if  presented  in  the 
form  of  a  letter,  would  meet  with  indifference. 

Everyone  who  has  familiarized  himself  with  the 
present  situation  with  reference  to  the  whole  prob- 
lem of  religious  education  realizes  that  this  Board 
of  our  church  has  a  large  and  needy  field  of  serv- 
ice before  it,  not  only  in  providing  religious  instruc- 
tion for  the  multitudes  outside  of  Sunday  schools, 
but  also  in  studying  how  it  may  encourage  the  pro- 
gressive development  of  these  schools  in  ways  that 
are  within  their  reach  and  adapted  to  their  limited 
opportunities. 


Sunday-school  Extension  169 

It  follows  most  naturally  and  logically  that  the 
Board  which  brings  new  Sunday  schools  into  ex- 
istence, and  provides  the  Sunday-school  literature, 
should  be  the  agency  to  whom  the  Sunday  schools 
should  look  for  assistance  in  developing  their  work. 
The  improvement  of  Sunday  schools  must  go  side 
by  side  with  the  work  of  organizing  new  Sunday 
schools.  The  work  is  one.  It  is  missionary  and 
it  is  educational.  Viewed  from  every  standpoint 
the  entire  field  of  work  of  this  Board  stands  as  a 
specific  task,  and  it  is  of  such  proportion  and  im- 
portance that  it  may  rightly  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  chief  agencies  of  the  Church.  It  is  a  task  that 
is  sufficiently  large  to  occupy  the  best  thought  and 
attention  of  this  Board,  which  for  so  many  years 
has  aimed  to  serve  the  Church  along  the  specific 
lines  of  work  which  the  General  Assembly  has  com- 
mitted to  its  care,  and  in  the  successful  prosecution 
of  which  the  General  Assembly  has  so  frequently 
commended  it. 


Date  Due 

Vr  9-  -    " 

A 

MR  19  48 

m  5-  ns 

MAf?2  T 

"Sf 

&PRS    ^ 

I 

f) 

